Hutchinson: Biden-Trump rematch would again be ‘painful’

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said a rematch between former President Trump and President Biden in 2024 would be “painful,” as it was during the 2020 race. 

Hutchinson said in an interview on “CNN This Morning” on Tuesday, the same day Biden announced his bid for reelection, that “no one” wants a repeat of the 2020 election, and the country wants a new leader. 

“No one wants a Biden-Trump replay of 2020. It was painful then it would be painful again. And so I think they’re looking for new leadership,” he said. 

Hutchinson, who announced his candidacy for the White House earlier this month, is set to make his formal announcement to kick off his run at an event in Bentonville, Ark., on Wednesday. 

He said Trump has somewhat of an advantage in the race because of his status as a former president, but he believes a “significant” number of members of the GOP believe the party will struggle to win with Trump as the nominee against Biden. 

Most recent polling has shown Trump with double-digit leads over his current and potential Republican opponents. Hutchinson has been among several other possible Republican choices polling in low single digits. 

Hutchinson said he plans to speak about his life growing up in a small town on a farm, the values he has learned and how he battled the “establishment” to grow the Republican Party and conservatism in Arkansas at his campaign launch event. 

He said he plans to take on opposing Trump for the nomination “a step at a time” and is looking to build up his base of support in early-voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire. 

Hutchinson dodged a question about whether he would support Trump if he were to become the Republican nominee in an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” saying he does not “prefer party loyalty oaths.” 

The Republican National Committee has signaled that GOP candidates will need to declare their support for the eventual nominee to take part in primary debates. 

“We’ve negotiated with the Republican National Committee on the terms of the debate, I expect to be on the debate stage,” Hutchinson said on Sunday. “I don’t prefer party loyalty oaths, but it’s important to have the competition.”