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Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s entry on Sunday into the GOP 2024 presidential primary marks the first potential shakeup in the race since former President Donald Trump’s unprecedented indictment last week.
Hutchinson is the first major candidate to jump into the race since criminal charges were brought against the ex-president in a hush-money case in New York, and the self-proclaimed “non-Trump” candidate is offering a measured response compared to his competitors.
“The office is more important than any individual person. And so for the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that’s too much of a sideshow and distraction,” Hutchinson said on ABC’s “This Week” of Trump’s legal troubles.
Following his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, several of Trump’s 2024 rivals rushed to his defense. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called the indictment an act of “revenge.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called it a “weaponization of the legal system.”
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy went even further, chastising DeSantis to CBS News as “uncourageous” for not coming to Trump’s defense sooner after he predicted his indictment on March 18.
Hutchinson said, however, that while Trump, who will be arraigned Tuesday, has a “presumption of innocence,” he should drop out of the race out of respect for the presidency.
“The important thing is that the grand jury found probable cause and
that’s the standard for any criminal charges in our society and then the
presumption of innocence follows you and then there’s a trial and the
determination of guilt or innocence,” he said.
“While we might disagree with what’s happening, we don’t want to erode confidence in our entire criminal justice system, simply because we don’t like the beginning parts of the case,” he added.
He first called a potential indictment of the former president a “distraction” in a USA TODAY in an interview in March before the charges against Trump were announced.
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Exclusive:Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson: Trump should quit 2024 presidential race if indicted
Hutchinson isn’t defending Trump, nor is he supporting his indictment
Hutchinson is not coming to Trump’s defense, but the former federal prosecutor has not expressed support for the indictment either. Instead, Hutchinson is maintaining a neutral position, adding that he does not support “the idea of the charges,” which are anticipated to be over the falsification of business records.
“I don’t like the idea of the charges, from what I’ve seen coming out of New York,” Hutchinson said. “But the process has got to work, and we’ve got to have respect for our criminal justice system, but also for the office of the presidency.”
Hutchinson’s view of the case and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has been investigating Trump over his alleged involvement in his former legal fixer’s payment to Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election, draws a sharp contrast to Republicans who have forcefully attacked the district attorney’s office.
Haley called the indictment “revenge by some political people in New York.” DeSantis, who is expected to launch a presidential campaign as soon as next month, accused Bragg of “stretching the law to target a political opponent.” Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is considering a White House bid of his own, said Bragg was “playing politics” with the indictment.
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At a time when many Republicans are hesitant to criticize Trump, Hutchinson is seeking to frame himself as a “non-Trump” candidate — something he hopes to portray through his neutrality on Trump’s indictment and his open calls for him to withdraw from the presidential race.
“When I say ‘Non-Trump,’ I want to be able to speak to the Trump voters, I want to be able to speak to all of the party and say this is the leadership I want to provide,” Hutchinson said.
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When asked whether he thinks he can convince some of Trump’s most ardent supporters to vote for him instead, Hutchinson said he thinks as the race progresses, Trump’s early support will falter.
“Whenever you look at winning a campaign, you got to find your slice, you got to find your votes, and I hope that we can take some of (Trump’s votes),” Hutchinson said. “And I think down the road, that support will diminish for Donald Trump as you look at the future and look at the challenges he faces.”
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