The 2024 GOP primary continues to expand as Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) has announced that he will run. President Donald Trump (R) was the first to announce his candidacy, and since then 3 more Republicans have joined the race.
During an interview with Jonathan Karl on ABC’s “This Week,” the former Governor of Arkansas made the announcement.
“I am going to be running. And the reason, as I’ve traveled the country for six months, I hear people talk about the leadership of our country, and I’m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America, and not simply appeal to our worst instincts,” he said.
“I believe I can be that kind of leader for the people of America,” Hutchinson added.
In her announcement, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (R) also subtly criticized President Trump, commenting that Americans were looking for new leaders. Under the Trump administration, Haley served as the Ambassador for the United Nations.
Trump has not commented on Haley’s candidacy instead focusing his energy on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), who has not yet announced a presidential run.
During his interview with Karl, Hutchinson, who is a former federal prosecutor, reaffirmed his stance that Trump should withdraw from the race given his recent legal proceedings.
“At the same time, we know he’s not. And there’s not any constitutional requirement,” Hutchinson expressed.
For him, Trump’s recent indictment is a “sideshow,” adding that “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.”
Aside from Trump, Haley, and Hutchinson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (R) has also joined the race, and he’s voiced his disapproval of Trump’s indictment.
I’m not afraid to speak truth directly to the other side: the Trump indictment & the Mackey conviction represent perversions of justice. If you’re afraid to speak to NBC, you shouldn’t be representing our country across the table from Xi Jinping. pic.twitter.com/e7SAoB2YBM
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) April 2, 2023
Taking to Twitter to share an interview with Meet the Press, Ramaswamy expressed that “the Trump indictment & the Mackey conviction represent perversions of justice.”
Trump has maintained that he will remain in the race, and the indictment further drives him to want to win in 2024.
