Hutchinson: Trump worst choice for GOP presidential nomination

WASHINGTON >> Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is considering running for president, on Tuesday called a third Donald Trump White House bid the “worst scenario” for Republicans and said his call for terminating parts of the Constitution hurts the country.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Hutchinson said he planned to make a decision early next year on whether to seek the Republican presidential nomination. Hutchinson, 72, leaves office in January after serving eight years as Arkansas' governor.

He's part of a growing cohort of Republicans eyeing a White House run at a challenging moment for the party, which fell short of its hopes for sweeping victories in last month's midterm elections. Trump, who has already announced another run for the presidency, has faced blame from some Republicans for contributing to the GOP's lackluster performance by elevating candidates and issues that didn't resonate with voters during the general election.

Hutchinson has previously said he wouldn't support Trump's candidacy in 2024, but on Tuesday, he didn't rule out backing Trump if he becomes the Republican nominee.

“That's really the worst scenario,” Hutchinson said of another matchup between Trump and Biden. “That's almost the scenario that Biden wishes for. And that's probably how he got elected the first time. It became, you know, a binary choice for the American people between the challenges that we saw in the Trump presidency, particularly the closing days, versus Biden, who he made it that choice.”

Hutchinson also derided Trump's recent statement calling for terminating parts of the Constitution to overturn the 2020 election as “so out of line and out of step with America that it almost does not deserve a response.”