Live from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Friday morning on the Vicki McKenna Show– weekdays on News/Talk 1130 WISN, host Matt Kittle welcomed former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson to the show to discuss his recent announcement for the 2024 presidential candidacy and his top issues for the country.
Kittle: Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. He made it official early this week. Good, sir, I’m glad that we have you here despite the technical difficulties, and thank you so much for bearing with us on that front. But I’m glad to have you with us.
You have entered the increasingly crowded field of Republicans running for president, and I guess the first question that I would have, and I think our listeners out there would have is why? Why do you want this?
Hutchinson: Thank you. And it’s great to be with you and this is an important time in our country. And when you look at my background as a governor, balancing the budget, leading our state through a difficult time for eight years, we look at my service in Congress, and then I took on some of the tough responsibilities as head of the DEA and then post-9/11, our Homeland Security.
I was under the secretary there, and I had responsibility for border security. You look at the issues that we face today, fentanyl coming across our border. You look at the challenge with our economy; it starts with too much federal spending that causes inflation and interest rates to go up.
These are issues that impact our families, and I’m prepared to address those. And so when you care about the country, whenever know the direction it needs to go, when you want America to stand tall in the world you jump in there.
And I believe that when you look at the Republican side, and I’m seeking the Republican nomination, we can’t have a repeat of a Biden-Trump contest. I think we need to have a new voice, a new leadership there that will paint an optimistic future for our country. I’m there. I’m excited about it. And look forward to coming to Wisconsin.
Kittle: Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, joining us on the Vicki McKenna Show this afternoon. You don’t think Donald Trump has a chance of beating Joe Biden?
Hutchinson: A chance is probably a little bit too strong, but he lost in 2020 and then in 2022 was not a good showing whenever he influenced a number of Senate races, and people are tired of fighting over the past and the last election they want to move forward to the future.
And yes, I think that if we’re going to win, we need to look at a new voice, a different voice, a consistent conservative voice, though that one that calls on the best of America and doesn’t appeal to our worst instincts.
Kittle: Speaking of worst instincts, I know a lot of conservatives feel this way. Whatever you think about the whole Stormy Daniels scandal and what is happening in Manhattan these days with the Manhattan District Attorney in Alvin Bragg, highly partisan and Aned saying that he would get Trump.
He’s gotten an indictment. He’s gotten a grand jury to indict the former president. Unprecedented, historic. And yet you look at the case, and you say it’s how do you not draw a political line, a partisan line in all of this? What do you think about this week’s event?
Hutchinson: I agree with you. It has everything that indicates a partisan slant. I’ve been a United States attorney. I was a federal prosecutor. I understand prosecutorial discretion. And this is a case that should not have been brought. When I finally read the indictment, I would’ve never brought that case, particularly as a felony.
So I think that you’ve got to erase that in the voter’s mind. You’ve got also a case that’s under investigation in Georgia. You’ve got a special counsel investigator. And from my standpoint, let’s just eliminate those from the table for now and look at how the voters need to make this decision on who’s going to be the Republican nominee. And so as a candidate, I hate the distraction. It’s hard to talk about the economy.
It’s hard to talk about the strength of America in relation to China and Russia when you have all of these side issues. So that’s the way it is though, and we’re just gonna have to sort through that. But I agree those are case charges that I would’ve never brought.
Kittle: Just one more question regarding former President Trump right now. No matter where he stands legally, he has a pretty solid lead in the polls. And then there’s the Florida Governor second place run if you owe Ron DeSantis, and then you’ve got a whole field of candidates vying. There’s a long time before the Iowa caucuses in early February, but do you feel like the polling is daunting at this point?
Hutchinson: It’s daunting in a way, but you’ve got to understand, as you pointed out, that we’re a long way from the first votes being cast, and we are just starting the campaign. I had my announcement last Sunday, and I’m gonna have the formal kickoff on the 26th of this month.
So we’re just starting. The other thing you’ve gotta remember is that those polls are, they fluctuate. Former President Trump got a bump whenever People believe that he was wrongfully indicted. He raised a lot of money from that. That’s certainly intimidating. But I don’t believe he should lead our party and our country. So you got two choices.
You either salute and say you’re the winner, or you get in there and fight. And I believe we ought to have options, and the voters want options this year. I’ve been to Iowa and California. Other states and people are not talking about Donald Trump and his challenges.
They’re talking about what they’re facing at the kitchen table with high prices and high-interest rates. And so we’ve gotta keep that message on problem-solving. So I’m encouraged by where we are right now but we are recognized how much work we have to do and recognize that it is early.
American people expect a contest with different voices in there. I don’t think this will be like 2016. We had 16 candidates. I think it’ll be a smaller number and the voters are going to wind all those down. Very good.
Kittle: Just a couple more minutes with former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Now an officially declared candidate for president seeking the G O P nomination in 2024. You served as the first Undersecretary of Homeland. Those were remarkable times. These are remarkable times and scary times on both ends of that timeline. Your thoughts on whatever we have left of the US southern border?
Hutchinson: It’s a mess. And this administration has signaled to the world that it’s open, and they can’t close the door back. You’ve got to message it right. But then you have to have asylum reform and put the resources there. And just as important as anything, you’ve got to go after the cartel. I targeted them when I was the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
We’ve got to make Mexico a partner in this. But I believe they should be declared a foreign terrorist organization. With the fentanyl that’s coming across, as well as the human suffering, starts with the cartel, and then we’ve got to put the resources there to protect our border. Fully committed to that, we can do it; it just takes American willpower.
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Photo “Asa Hutchinson” by Office of Public Affairs. CC BY 2.0. Background Photo “United States Capitol” by Louis Velazquez.
