Former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arkansas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arkansas</a> Republican Gov. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/asa-hutchinson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Asa Hutchinson</a>, who dropped out of the 2024 White House race last week, endorsed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nikki-haley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nikki Haley</a> for president this weekend.
A post to X from Hutchinson, a former congressman who served in roles in George W. Bush&#8217;s administration prior to becoming governor, argued that the frontrunner, former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>, would not bring the country together in a politically charged environment.
&#8220;Anyone who believes Donald Trump will unite this country has been asleep over the last 8 years. Trump intentionally tries to divide America and will continue to do so. Go [Haley] in New Hampshire,&#8221; Hutchinson <a href="https://twitter.com/AsaHutchinson/status/1748810875777978750" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said on Saturday</a>.
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Anyone who believes Donald Trump will unite this country has been asleep over the last 8 years. Trump intentionally tries to divide America and will continue to do so. Go <a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiHaley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NikkiHaley</a> in New Hampshire. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FITN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FITN</a>
&mdash; Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) <a href="https://twitter.com/AsaHutchinson/status/1748810875777978750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Last week, Trump won the Iowa caucuses while Haley came in third place, right behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.  Hutchinson, who finished a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/01/15/us/elections/results-iowa-caucus.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">distant sixth place</a> in Iowa and got no delegates, suspended his campaign soon afterward and applauded Trump for his victory.
“I congratulate Donald J. Trump for his win last night in Iowa and to the other candidates who competed and garnered delegate support,” Hutchinson <a href="https://twitter.com/brianneDMR/status/1747283577924927559">said</a>.  “Today, I am suspending my campaign for President and driving back to Arkansas. My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front runner did not sell in Iowa.&#8221;
Hutchinson made headlines in the days that followed after the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-national-committee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democratic National Committee (DNC)</a> dismayed people in the &#8220;Never Trump&#8221; crowd with a statement saying, &#8220;This news comes as a shock to those of us who could&#8217;ve sworn he had already dropped out.&#8221; The White House followed suit by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-white-house-apologizes-to-hutchinson-for-dnc-swipe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issuing an apology</a> to Hutchinson.
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New Hampshire&#8217;s GOP primary is next on Tuesday, where polling shows Trump in the lead but Haley catching up as the day nears. As of Sunday, the RealClearPolitics <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/republican-primary/2024/new-hampshire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">average of polls shows</a> Trump with 50.3% support and Haley getting 35.5%. The <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/republican-primary/2024/south-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">polls in South Carolina</a>, which has its GOP primary on February 24, so far show Trump with a bigger advantage over Haley. DeSantis rounds out the top three in polls for both states.
Though Haley has the endorsement of New Hampshire GOP Governor Chris Sununu, Trump has the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arkansas-gov-sarah-sanders-endorses-trump-at-florida-rally-everybodys-favorite-president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsement</a> of current Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as his press secretary in the White House. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), another former rival who dropped out of the 2024 race, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sen-tim-scott-endorses-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> his support for Trump on Friday.
&#8220;We need a president who will close our southern border. We need a president today who will stop the crime in the streets. We need Donald Trump! That is why I am officially endorsing Donald J. Trump for President of the United States,&#8221; Scott <a href="https://twitter.com/votetimscott/status/1748538432895230061" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post to X after he appeared with Trump at a campaign event in New Hampshire.

Republican Presidential Candidates Attend The 3rd Annual MMM Tailgate Celebration In Iowa City

Hutchinson Backs Haley Ahead Of New Hampshire Primary

2024 Election

Asa Hutchinson

Elections

Endorsement

New Hampshire

Nikki Haley

Politics

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> conveyed an apology through aides to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/asa-hutchinson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Asa Hutchinson</a> on Wednesday for a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-national-committee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democratic National Committee (DNC)</a> statement mocking the former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arkansas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arkansas</a> governor after he dropped out of the GOP presidential contest.
Jeffrey Zients, Biden&#8217;s chief of staff, called Hutchinson in the morning to express contrition for the DNC&#8217;s swipe, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. &#8220;It did not represent [Biden&#8217;s] views. We apologize to the governor,&#8221; Jean-Pierre said.
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> on DNC statement regarding <a href="https://twitter.com/AsaHutchinson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AsaHutchinson</a>&#39;s suspended presidential campaign: &quot;The president has deep respect for Governor Hutchinson&#8230;Jeff Zients called the governor to apologize on behalf of the president and it did not reflect his views.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ydb8EzKE4N">pic.twitter.com/ydb8EzKE4N</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1747717971156287659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The statement from the DNC came out on Tuesday after Hutchinson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/asa-hutchinson-drops-out-of-2024-race-after-dismal-showing-in-iowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended</a> his 2024 presidential campaign after a poor showing in the Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/iowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iowa</a> caucuses. &#8220;This news comes as a shock to those of us who could&#8217;ve sworn he had already dropped out,&#8221; said DNC National Press Secretary Sarafina Chitika.
An array of journalists and pundits, including high-profile figures in the &#8220;Never Trump&#8221; crowd, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dnc-gets-dragged-over-zinger-on-gop-presidential-candidate-dropping-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">condemned the DNC</a> for the statement that critics described as &#8220;stupid&#8221; and gratuitous.
Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dean-phillips" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dean Phillips</a> (D-MN), who is running a long-shot campaign against Biden for the Democratic Party&#8217;s presidential nomination, took the opportunity to <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexThomp/status/1747397096397783546" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chide</a> the DNC for messaging that was &#8220;disrespectful&#8221; and &#8220;unnecessary.&#8221; He added, &#8220;I’m embarrassed for my party,&#8221; before harping on the DNC&#8217;s refusal to hold primary debates and ballot access issues.
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In Littleton, NH, Dean Phillips hit the DNC for this statement. “It’s disrespectful, it’s mean-spirited, it’s unnecessary, and it’s obnoxious. and I’m embarrassed for my party. <a href="https://t.co/6KRcByZdyw">https://t.co/6KRcByZdyw</a> <a href="https://t.co/syhIsPoyNp">pic.twitter.com/syhIsPoyNp</a>
&mdash; Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexThomp/status/1747397096397783546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Some reporters noted on Wednesday, following the White House apology, that Hutchinson was a <a href="https://twitter.com/PhilipWegmann/status/1747722819784282288" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GOP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/meredithllee/status/1747721998870974564" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ally</a> to Biden during the COVID pandemic and <a href="https://twitter.com/svdate/status/1747715193252303335" target="_blank" rel="noopener">getting rid of any degree of animosity</a> between them could benefit the incumbent during the general election.
Jean-Pierre said Biden has a &#8220;deep respect&#8221; for Hutchinson and &#8220;admires&#8221; the campaign that he ran for the presidency. &#8220;The president knows him to be a man of principle who cares about our country and has a strong record of public service,&#8221; she added. The White House press secretary refused to divulge whether there was any communication between Biden&#8217;s team and the DNC about the group&#8217;s messaging.
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Asa Hutchinson on Biden&#39;s Chief of Staff Jeff Zients calling him to apologize: “I&#39;m grateful for Jeff reaching out to me today&#8230;he apologized. It meant a lot to me, and to me, that reflects the good parts of American politics.” <a href="https://t.co/TM7ewAE1z9">pic.twitter.com/TM7ewAE1z9</a>
&mdash; Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AccountableGOP/status/1747743063550632161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Hutchinson told CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper on Wednesday that he &#8220;didn&#8217;t pay much attention to what the DNC said&#8221; but noted that it was &#8220;gratifying to see a bipartisan rebuffing&#8221; of the statement.
“I&#8217;m grateful for Jeff reaching out to me today &#8230; he apologized,&#8221; Hutchinson added. &#8220;It meant a lot to me. And to me, that reflects the good parts of American politics.&#8221;

Former Arkansa Governor Asa Hutchinson

Biden White House Apologizes To Hutchinson For DNC Swipe

Joe Biden

U.S.

White House

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-national-committee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democratic National Committee (DNC)</a> is facing blowback over its reaction to former Arkansas Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/asa-hutchinson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Asa Hutchinson</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/asa-hutchinson-drops-out-of-2024-race-after-dismal-showing-in-iowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspending</a> his 2024 presidential campaign after a poor showing in the Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/iowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iowa</a> caucuses.
&#8220;This news comes as a shock to those of us who could&#8217;ve sworn he had already dropped out,&#8221; DNC National Press Secretary Sarafina Chitika said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Washington Post&#8217;s Aaron Blake posted a screenshot of the one-line zinger on social media, which drew a wave of condemnation from an array of journalists and pundits, including those from the &#8220;Never Trump&#8221; crowd.
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The DNC&#39;s (rather gratuitous?) statement on Asa Hutchinson <a href="https://t.co/zQjIMePrn9">pic.twitter.com/zQjIMePrn9</a>
&mdash; Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1747331329425911827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The DNC&#8217;s (rather gratuitous?) statement on Asa Hutchinson,&#8221; Blake <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1747331329425911827" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in his post. &#8220;Not a good look,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/Victorshi2020/status/1747360640262693364" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commented</a> Victor Shi, a <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/west-wing-playbook/2023/08/17/meet-bidens-gen-z-hype-man-00111724" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gen Z advocate</a> of President Joe Biden with a large following on X.
&#8220;I assume you guys want the support in November of that slice of Republicans who admire Asa for being a decent and principled person, and for not bending the knee to [former President Donald] Trump? Or is Biden so far ahead that you don&#8217;t need every potential crossover vote?&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1747353869892432327" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> &#8220;Never Trump&#8221; leader and The Bulwark editor-at-large Bill Kristol.
&#8220;This is so wrong-headed strategically and in terms of basic decency,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/AWeissmann_/status/1747359101489647990" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Andrew Weissmann, a former federal prosecutor who assisted Robert Mueller&#8217;s special counsel investigation into Trump. Journalist John Hardwood <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnJHarwood/status/1747367974854418931" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;juvenile, idiotic, counter-productive statement,&#8221; adding, &#8220;the kind of thing you&#8217;d expect from Trump&#8217;s team, not Biden&#8217;s.&#8221;
&#8220;Stupid. The DNC should have praised Asa for his forthright condemnation of Trump and the insurrection, and noted that his integrity meant he had no chance of winning over Republican primary voters,&#8221; <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-cnn-town-hall-appearance-turn-disaster/story?id=99201764" target="_blank" rel="noopener">political scholar</a> Norman Ornstein <a href="https://twitter.com/NormOrnstein/status/1747332234007220254" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
&#8220;These are just stupid and dumb,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamKinzinger/status/1747332650119922081" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). Hey [DNC], this is a shitty thing to say. [Hutchinson] should be thanked by you all for running AGAINST Trump. I mean…you do want all of us NeverTrumpers to vote for Biden, don’t you? Come on DNC, be better than this,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/WalshFreedom/status/1747360120021909658" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL).
&#8220;These people are losing to Trump, [Florida Governor Ron] DeSantis, and [former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Ambassador Nikki] Haley in every swing state and dedicated energy to this,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJenningsKY/status/1747356013747912823" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> CNN contributor Scott Jennings.
More comments, from users of X accounts both large and small, piled on as Blake&#8217;s post garnered nearly 500,000 views in three hours.
Earlier in the day, Hutchinson had followed tech entrepreneur <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vivek-ramaswamy-drops-out-endorses-trump?0=utm_source=ground.news&amp;1=utm_medium=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vivek Ramaswamy in dropping out</a> of the GOP presidential nomination contest after failing to break into the top three in Iowa&#8217;s caucuses while struggling to reach and break past <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/republican-primary/2024/national" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1% support</a> in most national polls.
“I congratulate Donald J. Trump for his win last night in Iowa and to the other candidates who competed and garnered delegate support,” Hutchinson <a href="https://twitter.com/brianneDMR/status/1747283577924927559">said</a> in a statement. “Today, I am suspending my campaign for President and driving back to Arkansas. My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front runner did not sell in Iowa.”

Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas

DNC Gets Dragged Over Zinger On GOP Presidential Candidate Dropping Out

Democratic National Committee

Iowa Caucuses

Former Arkansas Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/asa-hutchinson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Asa Hutchinson</a> said on Tuesday that he was dropping out of the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. 
Hutchinson’s announcement came after a poor performance on Monday at the Iowa caucuses, where he picked up less than half a percent of the vote. Former President Donald Trump dominated, winning 51% of the votes and all but one of Iowa’s 99 counties. 
“I congratulate Donald J. Trump for his win last night in Iowa and to the other candidates who competed and garnered delegate support,” Hutchinson <a href="https://twitter.com/brianneDMR/status/1747283577924927559" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “Today, I am suspending my campaign for President and driving back to Arkansas. My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front runner did not sell in Iowa.”
Hutchinson became the second candidate to drop out after the caucus, following tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. His campaign failed to garner much support, and he did not qualify for any debates after the first. He was far behind the other trailing Republican candidates, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (21.2%), former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (19.1%), and Ramaswamy (7.7%).  
“I stand by the campaign I ran. I answered every question, sounded the warning to the GOP about the risks in 2024 and presented hope for our country’s future,” Hutchinson said. 
The former governor was a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-gop-governor-announces-presidential-bid-calls-on-trump-to-drop-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frequent critic</a> of Trump and launched his campaign by calling on Trump to drop out. Before announcing his run last year, Hutchinson promised “to do everything” to ensure that Trump did not get the Republican nomination.
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“I mean, first of all, the office is more important than any individual person,” Hutchinson said in April during his announcement. “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 also faced criticism on the campaign trail over his past veto of a bill banning transgender procedures for minors during his time as governor. He said he opposed the bill because of parental rights and limited government. 
&nbsp;

Asa Hutchinson Drops Out Of 2024 Race After Dismal Showing In Iowa

2024 Primaries

Donald Trump

Iowa

Ron DeSantis

Vivek Ramaswamy

A few Republican candidates benefited from the first presidential debate in the polls, but former President Donald Trump still holds a commanding 40-point lead in the Real Clear Politics polling <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2024/president/us/2024_republican_presidential_nomination-7548.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">average</a>. 
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley got slight boosts in some polls following the debate. Haley appeared to benefit the most, jumping over former Vice President Mike Pence into fourth place in the polling average. Trump’s polling average remained above 50% following the debate that he opted to skip as the former president’s mugshot dominated news cycles immediately after. 
The RCP average as of Wednesday morning puts Trump in first place at 53.6%, followed by DeSantis (13.5%), Vivek Ramaswamy (7.3%,) Haley (4.9%), and Pence (4.6%). Republican candidates polling at the bottom of the pack include former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (2.5%), South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (2.4%), former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (0.4%), North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (0.4%), and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd (0.3%). 
A poll conducted by InsiderAdvantage the day after the debate showed that DeSantis jumped to 18%, an eight percentage point boost from the previous InsiderAdvantage poll. Haley meanwhile hit double digits in the poll, jumping to 11%, a five percentage point boost from her standing in the previous poll. The InsiderAdvantage <a href="https://insideradvantage.com/insideradvantage-post-debate-national-republican-presidential-poll-trump-leads-at-45-percent-desantis-takes-solid-18-second-place-haley-rockets-to-third-in-survey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a>, which surveyed 850 &#8220;likely Republican caucus and primary voters,&#8221; showed that Trump had fallen six percentage points — down to 45% — since the previous poll conducted before the debate.
An Emerson <a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/august-2023-national-poll-trump-debate-snub-may-open-door-for-other-candidates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a> conducted in the days following the first GOP debate showed Haley making the biggest jump, from 2% in a poll taken a week before the debate to 7% in the post-debate poll, which surveyed 1,000 registered voters. Pence jumped from 3% to 7% in the poll, and DeSantis moved up from 10% in the pre-debate poll to 12%. Trump and Ramaswamy both dropped in their polling after the debate, according to Emerson. The former president went from 56% to 50%, while Ramaswamy lost one percentage point, falling back into single digits at 9%.
The latest Economist/YouGov <a href="https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/eqlqwyoypg/econTabReport.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a> taken after the debate showed that not much changed for the candidates seeking to gain ground on Trump. DeSantis remained at 16% in the poll, which is where he stood in the previous Economist/YouGov survey taken a week before the debate. Ramaswamy gained two percentage points, moving from 4% to 6%, according to the polls, and Haley inched from 3% to 4%. Trump dropped to 52%, according to the poll, giving him a 36-point lead over DeSantis nationally. 
A Morning Consult <a href="https://pro.morningconsult.com/trackers/2024-gop-primary-election-tracker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a> also found that the debate didn’t change much for the candidates trailing Trump. The poll, which surveyed over 3,500 “potential Republican primary voters,” showed that Haley and Scott were the only candidates to get a slight bump. Haley went from 3% to 5% and Scott moved up from 2% to 3%. Trump (58%), DeSantis (14%), Ramaswamy (10%), and Pence (6%) all remained the same before and after the debate. 
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The day after the GOP debate, which garnered nearly 13 million viewers, Trump was arrested in Fulton County, Georgia, on a series of charges, including violating Georgia’s RICO Act, conspiracy to commit forgery, and false statements and writings. Trump’s mugshot taken at the jail quickly went viral on social media and was plastered across the country’s newspapers and news websites. Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-makes-statement-after-arrest-in-fulton-county" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> his arrest in Georgia “a very sad day for America.” 
&#8220;What has taken place here is a travesty of justice,” Trump added. “We did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong. And everybody knows that I&#8217;ve never had such support.”

Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Donald Trump

Latest Presidential Polls: Trailing Candidates Get Slight Post-Debate Boost, Trump Still Dominates

Chris Christie

Doug Burgum

Mike Pence

Wednesday night’s first 2024 GOP presidential primary debate might wind up being a bit of a wash for all the candidates involved  — principally because nobody significantly exceeded or underperformed expectations.  
Yet, simply because there was no clear winner or loser of the debate itself, does not mean that there weren’t both highlights and lowlights worth reviewing for each candidate. We’ll review some of those moments and more for each candidate involved (and not involved) in no particular order. 
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy
Pros: Ramaswamy, the 38-year-old untested politician, arguably made the biggest splash in terms of proving that he can handle being on the stage with the seven other politicians vying for the nomination. As a political outsider, Ramaswamy has chosen to shy away from criticizing former President Donald Trump and his MAGA base — a trend that continued in Milwaukee.
To his credit, Ramaswamy was quick to answer many questions straightforwardly. He did nothing to turn off his more populist voters or those sympathetic to his platform. A particular highlight was his response to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ramaswamy-shut-down-dept-of-education-move-funding-to-parents-to-allow-school-choice">how to fix the education crisis</a> in America, but he also spoke of intangibles not necessarily reflected in policies.
Conservative writer Amber Athey praised Vivek to that extent, saying, “Vivek is the only candidate on the stage who has identified the real underlying issues affecting Americans. Our lack of shared identity &amp; values. The others laughed at his assertion that we are in decline, they don&#8217;t see our national malaise. They don&#8217;t get it.” 
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Vivek is the only candidate on the stage who has identified the real underlying issues affecting Americans. Our lack of shared identity &amp; values. The others laughed at his assertion that we are in decline, they don&#39;t see our national malaise. They don&#39;t get it.
&mdash; Amber Athey (@amber_athey) <a href="https://twitter.com/amber_athey/status/1694538633829552354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Cons: Vivek has earned a nickname from political opponents as “Vivek the Fake” and his flip-flops on key issues hamper his success. He didn’t do himself any favors toward shedding that label after he appeared to steal former President Barack Obama’s line about being &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sounds-like-chatgpt-christie-slams-ramaswamy-for-plagiarizing-obama-line">a skinny guy with a funny last name</a>. &#8220;
Watch for yourself: 
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Vivek Ramaswamy dropped a not-so-subtle reference to Obama&#39;s 2004 DNC speech last night&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/TGmAazHzuC">pic.twitter.com/TGmAazHzuC</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1694742534587658275?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Pros: The Florida governor had a quality night — not necessarily for what he said, but for what he did not say. DeSantis avoided verbal landmines that could turn off MAGA voters and largely stayed out of the fray in terms of personal attacks. He stayed on message: America is in decline. We need to fix it. I know how to fix it. Look at Florida for results.
 Those who are squarely aligned with DeSantis are likely to stay with him after last night&#8217;s appearance. Maybe as a result of his personal and political discipline, and perhaps because of his popularity amongst the GOP base, the other candidates avoided lobbing assaults at him as well. 
Cons: While DeSantis didn’t get attacked all that much, he also didn’t make the impact he needed to be seen as the pre-eminent opponent to Trump. Trump is 40 points ahead of DeSantis. He is going to need to peel away that support in order to defeat him. 
To that end, it doesn’t seem like he did anything to win over the Trump primary voters he needs — especially compared to Ramaswamy. As we’ll discuss with former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, he may even lose some of the more hawkish GOP voters who want more aid sent to Ukraine.
There are many voters waiting for DeSantis to have a big, breakout moment that shows he can be entertaining, connect with voters, and be able to stand on his own two feet against Trump. That didn’t happen here.
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley
Pros: Haley’s most passionate and arguably best moment of the night came in her defense of the moral and political need to help Ukraine defend itself. Watch here: 
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Nikki Haley slams Ramaswamy at the GOP debate on foreign policy: “Ukraine is the first line of defence for us. Vivek wants to hand Ukraine to Russia. He wants to let China eat Taiwan. He wants to stop funding Israel. You don’t do that to friends.” 👏👏<a href="https://t.co/LMVDTOuGws">pic.twitter.com/LMVDTOuGws</a>
&mdash; Bella Wallersteiner 🇺🇦 (@BellaWallerstei) <a href="https://twitter.com/BellaWallerstei/status/1694590499833712791?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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If you are somebody who believes that the U.S. should be doing more to help President Volodymyr Zelensky in his fight against Putin, it’s tough not to see Haley as your preferred candidate. That could be bad news for DeSantis, who might have voters turn their backs on him in favor of Haley.
Cons: Ukraine isn’t that much of a priority for voters and <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/15/more-than-four-in-ten-republicans-now-say-the-us-is-providing-too-much-aid-to-ukraine/">polling indicates that an increasing number of Republican</a> voters want less money and weapons sent to the Eastern European country — not more. 
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum
Pros: Burgum was one of the only candidates on stage who didn’t sound exasperated when speaking. His calm statesman-like approach was appreciated to some degree in contrast to the hyperbolic yelling that has become the norm at these events. He seems like a very likable guy. 
Cons: He just doesn’t have the name recognition, policies, or the “it” factor that could help him win the nomination. He reminds this author of Eugene Levy in &#8220;Best in Show.&#8221;
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson
Pros: The performance was classic Hutchinson — if that is even a thing. At one or two percent in the polls, it is pretty impressive that he made it to the debate stage at all. If you’re somebody who hasn’t completely given up on Reaganite principles and Bush-era Republicanism — Hutchinson might be your guy. 
Cons: Hutchinson is somebody who hasn’t completely given up on Reaganite principles and Bush-era Republicanism. It is apparent he doesn’t know what decade it is.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott 
Pros: Scott also didn’t do anything to turn away voters. As a strong supporter of reforming education for all Americans, Scott made a great point that tends to get overlooked in conservative politics these days. 
“The only way we change education in this nation is to break the backs of the teachers unions,” he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
TIM SCOTT says &quot;the only way we change education in this nation is to BREAK THE BACKS OF THE TEACHERS UNIONS&quot; <a href="https://t.co/9Jzw8axHjD">pic.twitter.com/9Jzw8axHjD</a>
&mdash; Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAngelisCorey/status/1694544388905464129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Scott is right. Even if we got all the woke stuff out of the classroom and barred remote learning from ever happening again, teachers unions would still wield tremendous force. Their goal is to protect all teachers — good and bad — from being fired while increasing benefits regardless of merit. In turn, public education suffers — and your child is left in the dust. 
Cons: Haley outshone him as the traditional GOP choice and his answers were a bit boring. Scott is good at moving around the crowd, which isn’t possible during this style of debate. Perhaps it just wasn’t his format. 
Former Governor Chris Christie
Pros: Christie had one moment that was vintage Christie — nailing down Vivek as “VivekGPT” and comparing him to Obama. Watch here:
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Someone had to unplug the computer. <a href="https://t.co/3dac0fpZ1x">pic.twitter.com/3dac0fpZ1x</a>
&mdash; Chris Christie (@GovChristie) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovChristie/status/1694523799780180315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Cons: It’s unclear why Christie is running other than to torpedo Trump. He took aim at the absent frontrunner several times Thursday night but failed to land any direct hits.
Former Vice President Mike Pence
Pros: Pence’s best moment came in his defense of the unborn. He spoke with clarity and conviction while making the case that a leader must not govern based on consensus. 
Watch for yourself: 
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Can&#39;t we have a minimum standard that says when a baby is capable of feeling pain, an abortion cannot be allowed? <a href="https://twitter.com/Mike_Pence?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Mike_Pence</a> stands for national 15 week pro-life protections at tonight&#39;s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GOPDebate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GOPDebate</a>: <a href="https://t.co/ZPQGIVshPw">pic.twitter.com/ZPQGIVshPw</a>
&mdash; SBA Pro-Life America (@sbaprolife) <a href="https://twitter.com/sbaprolife/status/1694543863157764298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Cons:  When he wasn’t doing that, he came across as out-of-touch and not in-sync with the base of the party. His solutions were reminiscent — again — of policies from the 1980s and early 2000s. The success of politicians like Trump and DeSantis prove that what worked then won’t work now.
Former President Donald J. Trump 
Pros: By staying out of the spotlight for once, Trump actually might have helped his campaign. He certainly didn’t lose any voters — the only other “MAGA&#8221;-style candidate was Vivek. But his performance certainly wasn&#8217;t commanding enough to replace Trump as the top dog.
The other aspect at play is that many Americans have wondered what a Republican Party without Trump would actually look like. For example, after January 6, many politicians and pundits argued that the GOP should move away from Trump altogether. DeSantis, when first being floated as a GOP contender, was billed as the embodiment of &#8220;Trumpism without Trump.&#8221;
Yet what Americans saw last night is that a GOP without Trump actually looks a lot like the GOP before his ascent. Both in recognition of the problems facing America as well as the policy solutions presented, the majority of candidates offered a pre-2015 Republican Party vision. The party&#8217;s base revolted against that and there remains little to no appetite amongst most Republican voters for a return to a GOP sans populism.
To that extent, just two out of eight candidates came remotely close to offering a “Trumpism without Trump” agenda: DeSantis and Vivek. 
Cons: One sharp political commentator told me in private what were the two biggest risks for Trump not appearing. His no-show performance could hurt him in Iowa. Recent polls showed 59% of Iowans view skipping debates as a weakness, he explained. The second is that his lack of presence could keep challengers in the game for longer. There was no opportunity for Trump to deal a presidential death blow, as we witnessed multiple times in 2016.
As predicted by columnist and friend of The Daily Wire David Marcus, “It will take a week to see how or if the debate moved the polling needle. I’m most curious to see if Trump’s number moves significantly one way or the other.” 
Conclusion
This debate might not move the needle in any direction, but it&#8217;s also unlikely any candidate will be dropping out after that performance.
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The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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GOP Debate, trump

2024 GOP Debate: A Bit Of A Wash For Everybody?

Republican Party

The first 2024 Republican presidential debate is here. Eight candidates, including a cadre of governors and former governors, will face off for the first time in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at a debate hosted by Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Candidates participating in the debate include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Former President Donald Trump, the current GOP frontrunner, will not participate, opting to take part in a sit-down interview with former Fox News Host Tucker Carlson. Follow The Daily Wire’s Republican presidential debate live blog here: Refresh for updates.
<hr />
Christie Asked About UFOs
Christie was asked about UFOs and responded by joking about New Jersey and unidentified flying objects. He pivoted, saying lawmakers should be focused on China instead.
DeSantis Says He Does Not Support Mandatory Military Service
DeSantis says he supports voluntary military service, references his own service in the aftermath of 9/11.
Scott Takes Aim At Teachers Unions
Scott said key to fixing education crisis was beating the backs of the education unions.
Pence Says President Should Not Be Too Old Or Too Young
In comments likely targeting Trump and Ramaswamy, Pence says that he trusts that the American people will not chose a president too old or too young. Ramaswamy responds by saying that he thinks a new generation should take leadership and be president.
DeSantis Says He&#8217;ll Send Troops To Southern Border, Not Ukraine
&#8220;As president of the United States, your first obligation is to defend our country and its people. You&#8217;re sending all this money [to Ukraine], but you&#8217;re not doing what we need to do to secure our own border,&#8221; DeSantis said over the objections of Nikki Haley, who argued &#8220;we can do both at the same time.&#8221;
&#8220;Well we&#8217;re not handling both,&#8221; DeSantis shot back. The Florida governor also said that he would send special forces to deal with cartels and treat them as terrorists organizations. 
Haley Hits Ramaswamy on Foreign Policy
Haley slammed Ramaswamy on his foreign policy stances. “You have no foreign policy experience and it shows,” she said. Haley went on to tell viewers and audience members that America would be less safe under a President Ramaswamy.
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Former Ambassador Nikki Haley slams Vivek Ramaswamy at the GOP debate on Ukraine and foreign policy:
“You are choosing a murderer over a pro-American country &#8230; You would make America less safe. You have no foreign policy experience and it shows. It shows.” <a href="https://t.co/NRilZGZf7G">pic.twitter.com/NRilZGZf7G</a>
&mdash; The Recount (@therecount) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1694537193853759887?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Burgum references overdose deaths
Burgum referenced the thousands of drug overdose deaths, highlights need to secure the border.
DeSantis, Ramaswamy Only Candidates To Challenge Aid For Ukraine
DeSantis and Ramaswamy were the only two candidates on stage who challenged the federal government’s continued funding for Ukraine in its war against Russia. DeSantis argued that Europe needs “to pull its weight” while Ramaswamy said that the U.S. must defend its own border before defending other nations’ borders.
Pence and Ramaswamy Argue Over Ukraine Aid
Pence argues for more American aid to Ukraine while Ramaswamy says no more money should be sent to Ukraine. Ramaswamy says more focus should be on communist China and on southern border while Pence says America can support all of the above.
Pence: American People Need To Know Trump Asked Me To Put Him Over Constitution
Pence defended his actions on January 6, 2021, saying that he had no power to contest election results.
Most candidates say they would support Trump if he&#8217;s convicted then becomes nominee
When asked if they would support Trump if he is convicted and then became the GOP nominee for president, DeSantis, Ramaswamy, Haley, Pence, Scott, and Burgum all raised their hands while Hutchinson kept his hand down.
Candidates backs up Pence over decision to go forward with certification of the 2020 election
Christie, Haley, and Scott both backed up Pence over his actions on January 6, 2021.
Ramaswamy and Christie clash over Trump
Ramaswamy and Christie went after each other over stance on actions of former President Donald Trump. Christie said Trump&#8217;s behavior was &#8220;inexcusable&#8221; while Ramaswamy defended Trump.
DeSantis notes he&#8217;s the only one who has fired Soros prosecutors
When asked on crime, DeSantis cites his suspension of two Soros backed prosecutors.
Pence and Ramaswamy Go After Each Other On American Identity 
Ramaswamy says that Americans are having an identity issue. Pence disagrees, saying that &#8220;We don&#8217;t need a new identity, Vivek!&#8221; Pence says America needs a government that matches its people. &#8220;The American people are the most faith-filled, freedom-loving, idealistic, hardworking people the world has ever known. We just need government as good as our people,&#8221; Pence added. 
Ramaswamy shot back, saying that America is in a dark moment and a &#8220;cold civil war.&#8221;
Chris Christie Goes After Hunter Biden
Christie says Hunter Biden would go to jail for ten years if he was president, saying law should apply equally to everybody.
Burgum says he would not ban abortion at federal level
Burgum says that based on the 10th Amendment that he would not support a federal abortion ban. Scott says Republicans should support a 15 week abortion ban at the minimum.
Haley and Pence Clash over abortion
Haley and Pence went after each other over congressional abortion legislation. Haley said there was not enough support in Senate to pass more narrow abortion legislation. Pence says that Republicans should push for abortion bans when the unborn child can feel pain.
Scott goes after rivals for arguing. 
Senator Scott went after Christie and Ramaswamy, saying that going back and forth &#8220;like children&#8221; won&#8217;t help the country.
Haley cites her gender as a reason to vote for her
Haley said that fighting from other male candidates was a reason to vote for her. She said that you need to rely on a woman to get something done.
Ramaswamy booed after accusing all of the candidates of being bought and paid for
Ramaswamy was booed by the audience after saying all the other candidates on the stage were bought and paid for. Christie responded by saying that Ramaswamy sounded like ChatGPT and was amateur. He compared Ramaswamy to Barack Obama.
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At the Fox News Debate, Christie slams Vivek both for sounding like ChatGPT AND for plagiarizing Obama <a href="https://t.co/ozFvPPTLHD">pic.twitter.com/ozFvPPTLHD</a>
&mdash; John Hasson (@SonofHas) <a href="https://twitter.com/SonofHas/status/1694524846397407424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Burgum and Hutchinson don’t get first words in for over 10 minutes
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who are trailing all other candidates on the stage in polling, went well over 10 minutes after the first question was asked before they were called on. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie were given the mic first.
Rich Men North of Richmond gets shout out at beginning of debate. 
The viral song sung by a Oliver Anthony that topped charts got a shout out at the beginning of the GOP debate, and Governor Ron DeSantis was asked why the song spoke so clearly to many Americans.&#8221;Our country is in decline,&#8221; DeSantis said. &#8220;This decline is not inevitable. It&#8217;s a choice. We need to send Joe Biden back to his basement and reverse American decline.&#8221;  DeSantis then spoke of restoring American dominance in energy by increasing domestic production, which has declined significantly under President Joe Biden.
Haley Says She Doesn&#8217;t Care About Polls, Goes After Trump On National Debt
Former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said she’s not concerned about her position in recent polls and called out her former boss for allowing the national debt to increase.“I don’t care about polls. What I care about is telling the American people the truth. The truth is that Biden didn’t do this to us. Our Republicans did this to us too when they passed that $2.2 trillion COVID stimulus bill …”
Pence and Ramaswamy Spar Over Experience
Former Vice President Mike Pence hit Vivek Ramaswamy over his lack of experience, saying, “Now is not the time for on-the-job training. We don’t need to bring in a rookie. We don’t need to bring in people without experience.”“You have a bunch of people, professional politicians, super PAC puppets following slogans handed over to them,&#8221; Ramaswamy responded. &#8220;The real choice we face in this primary is this: do you want a super PAC puppet or do you want a patriot who speaks the truth?”
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As president, I will never let the Deep State bureaucrats lock you down. <a href="https://t.co/SaaCHUzacf">pic.twitter.com/SaaCHUzacf</a>
&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1694521691592855908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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DeSantis: We’re in this mess because we locked down.
DeSantis discusses COVID lockdowns and says the way to deal with bureaucrats like Anthony Fauci is to fire them.
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As president, I will never let the Deep State bureaucrats lock you down. <a href="https://t.co/SaaCHUzacf">pic.twitter.com/SaaCHUzacf</a>
&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1694521691592855908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Burgum makes joke about accident earlier in the day. 
Burgum tore his ACL earlier on Wednesday at a pickup basketball game before showing up to Wednesday&#8217;s debate. Says he took advice to &#8220;break a leg&#8221; a little to seriously.&#8221;

2024 Presidential Candidates Participate In Republican Primary Debate

2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: Live Updates As Eight Republicans Face Off In Milwaukee

Debates

Tim Scott

Tucker Carlson grilled Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson on Friday over his past veto of a bill banning transgender procedures for minors.
The exchange, which happened at The Family Leadership Summit in Iowa, comes after Hutchinson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-narrow-party-that-expresses-ourself-in-intolerant-ways-hutchinson-slams-those-opposing-blocking-puberty-blockers-for-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repeatedly</a> defended his veto back in 2021, calling the bill &#8220;extreme.&#8221;
&#8220;I believe in a limited role of government,&#8221; Hutchinson told Carlson. &#8220;And so, you know, I don&#8217;t think that California ought to be able to tell parents, &#8216;you need to have gender affirming care for the children.&#8217; The government should not do that. And in the same way, let&#8217;s keep the government out of it unless it&#8217;s that extreme case. And let&#8217;s let parents guide the children. I stand with parents.&#8221;
Carlson said he agreed with standing with parents before he started to bring up Hutchinson&#8217;s veto.
&#8220;The reason I asked the question was not to bring up a sore subject, which I know that it is, but to ask if in the subsequent two years, you had said that you drew the line at castration, of physical altercation of a child&#8217;s body because it&#8217;s permanent,&#8221; Carlson said. &#8220;But in the subsequent two years, I think we&#8217;ve learned that hormone therapy for prepubescent children is permanent, it changes the bone structure, it changes the brain of the child, that a lot of people believe, including me, that it destroys the child&#8217;s life, but it is permanent. It&#8217;s not reversible.&#8221;
&#8220;So given that, and that standard you just articulated, do you have different feelings?&#8221; Carlson asked. &#8220;I mean, this is a permanent change we&#8217;re making to a child, why would we allow that if we don&#8217;t allow surgery?&#8221;
Hutchinson responded, &#8220;Well, permanent change is one issue. But also hormonal treatment is a different issue and can be a different issue. And whenever you look at the bill that I vetoed, there was not any grandfather clause in there. Again, I respect legislators that have a different view. But I think independently, I think of the parents, I think of the Constitution. And actually the court, if you read the decision of the federal judges who struck it down as unconstitutional, really sided with parents as well.&#8221;
Carlson pressed Hutchinson over why he thinks that altering a person&#8217;s natural hormones is &#8220;treatment.&#8221;
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&#8220;If you have a child who says, who&#8217;s born a boy, &#8216;I want to become a girl.&#8217; He hasn&#8217;t gone through puberty yet. He&#8217;s say 10,&#8221; Carlson said. &#8220;Is it treatment to prevent him from going through the natural process of adolescence? How is that treatment? It seems, not like treatment. It seems like something else.&#8221;
Hutchinson snapped, &#8220;Tucker, I hope that we&#8217;ll be able to talk about some issues.&#8221;
&#8220;Well this is one of the biggest issues in the country,&#8221; Carlson responded. &#8220;And I think, every person in this room would agree that it is a central issue because these are children who are being altered permanently, and you can defend that alteration that change if you like, but there&#8217;s really no debate about whether or not it&#8217;s permanent. And so I think it&#8217;s fair to ask you in a calm, rational and I very much hope polite way, why you would support that.&#8221;
WATCH:
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Asa responds to question about child transition surgeries: &quot;Tucker, I hope we&#39;ll be able talk about some issues.&quot;
Tucker: &quot;This is one of the biggest issues in the country. It is a central issue. These are children who are being altered permanently.&quot; 
Audience: *erupts*… <a href="https://t.co/8IevOPa6ho">pic.twitter.com/8IevOPa6ho</a>
&mdash; TheBlaze (@theblaze) <a href="https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/1679881237408673793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Republican Presidential Candidates Speak At The Family Leadership Summit in Iowa

Tucker Carlson Shreds Asa Hutchinson Over Transgender Treatments For Kids

Social Issues

Tucker Carlson

GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson says that members of the Republican Party who claim the Department of Justice has been weaponized against former President Donald Trump should “back off.&#8221; 
During an <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-transcript-6-18-23-former-gov-asa/story?id=100168176" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appearance</a> on ABC News’s “This Week” with host Jonathan Karl, the former Arkansas governor said arguing that the Justice Department has been unfairly targeting Trump “undermines” law enforcement in the United States, adding that Trump’s promise to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Biden family was the real “weaponization” of the DOJ. Hutchinson also repeated his call for Trump to drop out of the race and urged the Republican party to return to the “rule of law.” 
“In terms of the overall charge of weaponization of the Justice Department, look at Donald Trump. He’s already declared that he- if he’s elected president, he’s gonna appoint a special prosecutor to go after the Biden family,” Hutchinson said. “That’s called a weaponization of the Justice Department.”
“And so let’s back off of these accusations, and let’s get back to being the party of the rule of law, of the justice system supporting law enforcement and the equal application of law,” he added. “Let’s don’t undermine the greatest justice system and criminal justice system and rule of law in the world today, this side of heaven.”
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Asa Hutchinson calls on his fellow Republicans to “back off” allegations that the DOJ has been &quot;weaponized.&quot;
“Let’s get back to being the party of the rule of law, of the justice system supporting law enforcement and the equal application of the law.” <a href="https://t.co/re0py9LGb0">https://t.co/re0py9LGb0</a> <a href="https://t.co/gf921PLUWv">pic.twitter.com/gf921PLUWv</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1670425644268650499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In recent years, Republicans have accused the Department of Justice of being weaponized against Republicans, specifically Trump. The indictment in the federal investigation led by special prosecutor Jack Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, has ratcheted up those accusations. 
House Republicans even <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/media/in-the-news/dojs-weaponization-of-government-against-conservatives-under-scrutiny-in-new" target="_blank" rel="noopener">created</a> the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government in January to look into “disparate treatment” from the DOJ. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the committee, pointed to the DOJ’s actions against President Trump when discussing the founding of the committee. 
&#8220;Clinton mishandles classified information, Biden mishandles classified information, and they get treated a certain way,&#8221; Jordan <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/media/in-the-news/dojs-weaponization-of-government-against-conservatives-under-scrutiny-in-new" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Then, of course, President Trump gets his home raided 91 days before this midterm election.&#8221; 
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During the interview with Karl, Hutchinson argued that Trump should put the “office of presidency and our country&#8221; above himself. Multiple polls show Trump leading the Republican field of candidates, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in second. 
“Whenever you’ve got these serious allegations against you, whenever you’ve got the challenge of multiple different investigations during the course of the next year, it’s not fair to the country and certainly it’s not fair to the party that wants to get this country back on track,” Hutchinson said.

Asa Hutchinson Says GOP Should ‘Back Off’ Claim That DOJ Has Been Weaponized Against Trump

Department of Justice

Asa Hutchinson, the former Republican governor of Arkansas, has announced that he is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination – and called on former President Donald Trump to drop out of the race. 
Hutchinson, an outspoken critic of Trump, made the announcement during an <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/abc-news-exclusive-former-arkansas-gov-asa-hutchinson/story?id=98238115" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> broadcast Sunday with ABC “This Week” host Jonathan Karl. Last week, Hutchinson <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/03/29/arkansas-asa-hutchinson-iowa-presidential-announcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent</a> time in Iowa, his third trip to the pivotal state this year. He joins another former Republican governor, South Carolina’s Nikki Haley, in trying to keep Trump from again clinching the Republican nomination. 
&#8220;I have made a decision, and my decision is I&#8217;m going to run for president of the United States,&#8221; Hutchinson said. “And the reason is, I&#8217;ve traveled the country for six months, I hear people talk about the leadership of our country. I&#8217;m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America, and not simply appeal to our worst instincts.&#8221;
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EXCLUSIVE: Former GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson announces during an interview with <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonKarl</a> that he will be running for president.
“I&#39;m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America and not simply appeal to our worst instincts.” <a href="https://t.co/DmytxAAfAL">https://t.co/DmytxAAfAL</a> <a href="https://t.co/f2lcIBQeqD">pic.twitter.com/f2lcIBQeqD</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1642516785969651712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
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A formal announcement will take place in Bentonville, Arkansas, later this month, Hutchinson told Karl. He added that he would bring optimism, common sense, and “consistent conservatism” to the office if elected. 
When asked if he thought former President Trump should drop out of the race, Hutchinson replied, “I do.” 
&#8220;I mean, first of all, the office is more important than any individual person,” Hutchinson said. “And so for the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that&#8217;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.&#8221;
This stands in contrast to other declared Republican presidential hopefuls, including Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Haley <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/31/trump-indictment-2024-presidential-candidates/11573502002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the indictment was purely for “revenge” and “political points.” Ramaswamy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vivek-ramaswamy-warns-trump-indictment-would-be-national-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> that an indictment of Trump would be a “national disaster.” 
Hutchinson explained that he doesn’t believe candidates need to step aside during an investigation but only when criminal charges are brought against them. 
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Hutchinson, a former federal prosecutor, <a href="https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/2023-04-01/former-ark-governor-asa-hutchinson-on-how-trumps-indictment-could-affect-the-gop-presidential-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> after the announcement of the indictment that Trump is &#8220;entitled to the presumption of innocence” but had previously called on the former president to “step aside” should an indictment occur. The former governor has also previously <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jan-6-disqualifies-trump-gop-presidential-nomination-asa/story?id=96016549" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that the controversy surrounding January 6, 2021, &#8220;disqualifies&#8221; Trump from the Republican nomination. 
&#8220;I know there&#8217;s going to be some that say I should be tougher on the prosecutor, I should be tougher on the unfairness of this,” Hutchinson told Karl on the indictment of Trump. “I&#8217;ve expressed my view that I wouldn&#8217;t bring those charges if I was a prosecutor. But let&#8217;s let the system work. And what I don&#8217;t want to do as a leader is undermine everything that is good about America, which is our criminal justice system.&#8221;
In January, Hutchinson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-governor-vows-to-do-everything-to-ensure-trump-wont-be-2024-gop-nominee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vowed</a> &#8220;to do everything&#8221; to ensure that Trump did not get the Republican nomination.

Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson

Former GOP Governor Announces Presidential Bid, Calls On Trump To Drop Out

2024

One Republican governor vows to do all he can to ensure former President Donald Trump is not the GOP nominee in 2024.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who is considering a presidential run of his own, was asked by Jonathan Karl, co-anchor of ABC News&#8217;s &#8220;This Week,&#8221; whether he would vote or support Trump if the 45th president did win the nomination again.
&#8220;I&#8217;m going to do everything that we can to make sure there’s alternatives, that he is not the nominee. And, of course, that’s a – all depends upon who else is out there,&#8221; Hutchinson said in the interview that aired Sunday morning. &#8220;But I do not believe that Donald Trump should be the next president of the United States.&#8221;
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“I do not believe that Donald Trump should be the next president of the United States&#8230;I think Jan. 6 really disqualifies him for the future. And so we move beyond that. And that’s what I&#39;m going to be focused on,” Arkansas Gov. Hutchinson tells <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonKarl</a>. <a href="https://t.co/xCAmiEc9Ly">https://t.co/xCAmiEc9Ly</a> <a href="https://t.co/LTm6SvsuqK">pic.twitter.com/LTm6SvsuqK</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1609557230017200129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-launches-third-bid-for-white-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced a third campaign</a> for the White House in November. It remains to be seen whether any significant members of the GOP will rise to challenge Trump, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-harris-poll-trump-leads-among-gop-for-2024-primaries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remains popular within the party</a>.
Though Hutchinson reiterated his longstanding view that the events of January 6, 2021 – the day of the Capitol riot – disqualifies Trump in 2024, he insisted it was &#8220;premature&#8221; when pressed on whether he would declare outright that no matter what, he would not support Trump. Still, he argued that Trump does not &#8220;define&#8221; the Republican Party and stressed there must be &#8220;other voices.&#8221;
A <a href="https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/government/hutchinson-bio.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">former administrator</a> of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Hutchinson has now served as governor of Arkansas since January 2015. After <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2b16dbd4d1714868912c2a4380a1537a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">winning re-election in 2018</a>, he was barred from another bid due to term limits. Hutchinson has said he is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/17/politics/asa-hutchinson-arkansas-presidential-bid-2024-cnntv/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;very seriously&#8221;</a> considering a 2024 presidential run but was noncommittal on Sunday.
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Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson warns RNC against putting up “obstacles” to unifying the Republican Party, telling <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonKarl</a> that every candidate besides Donald Trump should have a chance to “showcase their skills and leadership capability.” <a href="https://t.co/xCAmiEc9Ly">https://t.co/xCAmiEc9Ly</a> <a href="https://t.co/LHc5zpVKvz">pic.twitter.com/LHc5zpVKvz</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1609558896179298305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I&#8217;m going to Iowa later this month. I&#8217;m excited about that. But no decision has been made now. And we can’t make a decision until a little bit later,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But I want to be a part of the solutions for America. I want to showcase that there – you can have leaders that address problems and offer solutions and ideas.&#8221;
Hutchinson and Trump found common ground during the 2022 election cycle when they both endorsed Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as Trump&#8217;s White House press secretary from 2017 to 2019 and is the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, as she ran to be the next governor of Arkansas.
Sanders won the contest and is set to be <a href="https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/nov/22/sanders-will-kick-off-inauguration-jan-7-with/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sworn in as the state&#8217;s first female governor</a> on January 10.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson

Republican Governor Vows ‘To Do Everything’ To Ensure Trump Won’t Be 2024 GOP Nominee

Republican Governor Vows 'To Do Everything' To Ensure Trump Won't Be 2024 GOP Nominee

Arkansas

Nearly two dozen Republican governors slammed a massive spending bill that Democrats are trying to ram through the U.S. Senate in a statement Thursday, saying that the bill will worsen inflation.
The statement comes as Senate Democrats rush to make last minute changes to a massive $740 billion spending bill that they will try to pass before the August recess by using the reconciliation process because the bill lacks bipartisan support.
&#8220;The Democrats’ solution to 40-year high inflation is passing another reckless tax and spending spree to the tune of $740 billion, affecting Americans in every tax bracket,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;While denying recession, Democrats want to raise taxes on businesses and manufacturers, which will force higher costs onto consumers, worsen inflation, and aggravate shortages.&#8221;
&#8220;With sky high prices at the pump, the last thing Americans need is for Democrats to punish energy producers, which will ultimately hurt working families struggling to pay for gas, goods, food, and utilities,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;Our citizens cannot afford Joe Biden’s broken promises on taxes and Democrats’ inflationary spending that will only exacerbate the economic crisis they created.”
Governors Henry McMaster (R-SC) and Brian Kemp (R-GA) led the 22 Republican governors in issuing the joint statement.
The other Republican governors who signed onto the statement included Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Doug Ducey (R-AZ), Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), Brad Little (R-ID), Kim Reynolds (R-IA), Tate Reeves (R-MS), Mike Parson (R-MO), Greg Gianforte (R-MT), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Kristi Noem (R-SD), Bill Lee (R-TN), Greg Abbott (R-TX), Mark Gordon (R-WY), Chris Sununu (R-NH), Kevin Stitt (R-OK), Doug Burgum (R-ND), Kay Ivey (R-AL), Spencer Cox (R-UT), Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), and Eric Holcomb (R-IN).
The statement from the governors comes after the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rogan-slams-democrats-for-trying-to-claim-economy-is-not-in-a-recession-what-a-bunch-of-weasels">released</a> data last week showing that the U.S. economy shrank for the second straight quarter, satisfying the traditional requirement of a recession.
The Biden administration has downplayed the poor economic news by claiming that the economy is transitioning out of a fast-paced, post-pandemic recovery to a more stable environment. The White House’s claims come as Americans continue to be battered by inflation, which measured over 9% in June.
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.

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22 Republican Governors Blast Democrats’ Spending Bill, Warn About Impact On Inflation

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