Republican Hutchinson to run for US president in 2024, urges Trump to drop out

WASHINGTON: Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announced his 2024 US presidential candidacy on Sunday with a proclamation that set him apart from other current or potential Republican candidates: former President Donald Trump should step aside from the race.

In an interview with ABC’s “This Week,” Hutchinson urged Trump, who launched his candidacy in November, to drop out of the race after the former president was indicted in New York following an investigation into hush money payments to a porn star.

“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.

Hutchinson, who was governor of the southern state from 2015 until early this year after previously serving in the US House of Representatives, said he would make his formal announcement in Arkansas later this month but has decided to run.