Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson declared Saturday that former President Donald Trump is not “the one” to represent the party going into the 2024 presidential election.
Hutchinson, chairman of the National Governors Association (NGA), told Business Insider on the sidelines of the NGA Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., that he doesn’t believe Trump deserves a second shot at running the country.
“I do not believe Trump is the one to lead our party and our country again, as president,” Hutchinson said.
“I’ve made it clear: This is about the future,” he said. “It’s not about the past elections.”
Asked who should lead instead, Hutchinson said, “that’s what the election is all about,” Insider reported.
“And, you know, the Republican Party has many different voices,” he added. “And it’s important in this time to have those voices and they should be concentrating on this election cycle.”
Hutchinson’s comments come after a video resurfaced last week that featured Trump declaring himself “the 45th and the 47th” president during a round of golf.
Trump delivered remarks at a Save America rally Saturday night in Conroe, Texas, where he spoke about being able to use his presidential authority to pardon individuals who took part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
“If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from Jan. 6 fairly,” he said. “We will treat them fairly. And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons, because they are being treated so unfairly.”
Texas’ Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller also spoke at the event.