Hutchinson on supporting Trump if he is the nominee: ‘I don’t prefer party loyalty oaths’

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), who earlier this month announced a 2024 White House campaign, dodged when asked on Sunday whether he would support former President Trump if Trump were to be the GOP nominee, saying he doesn’t “prefer party loyalty oaths.”

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has said that candidates will have to sign a pledge to support the party’s candidate if they want to be on the debate stage in the primary process. Hutchinson during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” did not say whether he would sign such a pledge.

“President Trump has taken a lot of heat for hemming and hawing on whether he would pledge to support the GOP nominee, whoever it ends up being,” host Shannon Bream asked Hutchinson. “Would you support him if he was the nominee?”

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

Trump has also not directly said whether he would support the GOP nominee if it is not him, raising concerns that the former president may withhold his support if he loses the primary.

Hutchinson, who served in Congress before becoming Arkansas governor and has seen low polling in early primary surveys, argues it is time for “new leadership” in the party and the country.

On Sunday, he took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who is expected to announce a White House bid and is seen as the main rival to Trump for the GOP nomination. DeSantis has been locked in a public battle with Disney, the entertainment giant that has a sizable footprint in the state. DeSantis has been trying to claw back the influence of the company in the state after it publicly denounced some of his education policies.

“I don’t believe whether you’re on the left or the right… the government should not be telling business what they can and cannot do in terms of speech,” Hutchinson said. “It appears to me that the governor did not like what Disney was doing in terms of what they were saying and exercising speech, so they’re being punished.”