Trump to Speak at CPAC as One GOP Governor Distances Himself From the Former President
Feb 22, 2021 | 8:26 AM
(Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Arkansas-AP (WBAP/KLIF) – Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday he will not back Donald Trump if the former president runs for the White House in 2024, saying “it’s time” to move on to different voices in the Republican Party.
Hutchinson told CNN’s “State of the Union” that Trump “is going to have a voice, as former presidents do. But there’s many voices in the party.”
Trump “should not define our future. We have got to define it for ourself,” the Republican governor added.
(WFAA)
Hutchinson had said after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, which led to Trump’s impeachment by the House, that he wanted Trump’s administration to end. But Hutchinson did not join calls for Trump to resign and said impeachment wasn’t a practical option. The Senate acquitted Trump of inciting the attack.
Hutchinson’s interview aired days after his nephew, Arkansas state Sen. Jim Hendren, announced that he’s leaving the GOP, citing Trump’s rhetoric and the riot at the Capitol by Trump’s supporters.
Meantime, in is first public appearance since leaving the White House, Trump is slated to speak at this week’s CPAC convention, after former Vice President Mike Pence declined.
(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
