Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), who announced that he’s running for president in 2024, said former President Trump should drop out of the race now that he’s been indicted on criminal charges.
“I mean, first of all, 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 and he needs to be able to concentrate on his due process and there is a presumption of innocence,” Hutchinson said in an interview aired Sunday with ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Hutchinson had said earlier that Trump should drop out if he was indicted, and shared a statement after news of the indictment generated headlines saying Trump should not become president again. Asked by Karl in the new interview whether he thinks Trump should now step away, Hutchinson said, “I do.”
“I’ve always said that people don’t have to step aside from public office if they’re under investigation, but if it reaches the point of criminal charges that have to be answered, the office is always more important than a person. And so, there’s some consistency there,” Hutchinson said.
“And I do believe if we’re looking at the presidency and the future of our country, then we don’t need that distraction,” he added.
Hutchinson announced during the interview that he’ll seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024. Trump announced just after the November midterms and is now the first sitting or former U.S. president to face criminal charges.
Trump was indicted for his alleged role in organizing hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. He and many in the Republican Party, including others running for the GOP nomination in 2024, have decried the Manhattan district attorney’s case as politically motivated against him as he runs for another four years in the White House.
“I think it’s a sad day for America that we have a former president that’s indicted, and so it’s a great distraction, but at the same time, we can’t set aside what our Constitution requires — which is electing a new leader for our country — just because we have this side controversy and criminal charges that are pending,” Hutchinson told ABC News.