Top GOPer Tells Trump to “Step Back” After Indictment

William Hunton / shutterstock.com
William Hunton / shutterstock.com

With an indictment officially having been made against former President Donald Trump, a number of individuals who might have supported him are suddenly changing their minds. Then again, for those who might seek to run against him, it does offer quite a unique situation.

One, in particular, is saying that such an indictment means Trump should leave the presidential race for 2024 as it is now a “distraction. Of course, this was said just days before he decided to announce his own presidential bid.

Enter former Arkansas governor and Republican Asa Hutchinson.

As quite a few of his fellow party members and even Trump supporters have noted recently, the indictment might be a sign that Trump should really consider stepping down as a presidential candidate.

This happened Friday when Hutchinson spoke to Fox Business about the recent indictment news.

He said, “When a public official is indicted, I think with regard to the office, the office is more important than the person, and they should step aside.” He added that when such an individual does not step aside, it becomes a “distraction” that takes away from the presidency and instead focuses on the man or woman in question.

In March, Hutchinson made the same kind of statement in an interview with USA Today, saying that should Trump be brought up on charges, he should end his campaign “out of respect for the institution of the presidency of the United States.”

Now, to be clear, Hutchinson pointed out that if Trump were simply going through a number of investigations, as he has been, stepping down would not be necessary. But when it comes to the point of actual charges being made, that’s a different story.

Well, maybe it would be if Trump were guilty. Or if he was being brought up on anything other than a misdemeanor already past its statute of limitations.

But Hutchinson’s claims only got worse on Sunday when he announced, right after, saying that Trump should step down again that he himself was going to be running for the Oval Office.
He told ABC’s “This Week” host Jonathan Karl, “While the formal announcement will be later in April… I wanted to make clear that to you, Jonathan, I am going to be running.”
Of course, this is where he pivoted away from Trump and tried to make it seem like his decision to run and Trump’s indictment had no connections.

He told Karl that as a leader at the state level and someone who has traveled around the US for a time listening to constituents about their needs and wants for the nation, he believes the people want a leader who best “appeals” to the country and not just “our worst instincts. Additionally, he claims to have the “common sense, consistent conservatism, and optimism” that we need.

Now, isn’t that just a coincidence? That Trump is arraigned on business fraud charges, told to step down, and then that same person telling him to step down suddenly decides he’s the best option for the GOP to choose as their leader?

Right…

I’m sure that’s what he hopes will happen; that way, he doesn’t have to actually run against Trump, who will undoubtedly be a formidable opponent for a man such as Hutchinson.

That’s not to say that the former governor doesn’t have some great qualities. After all, he did lead his state in “consistent conservatism” for two terms in the governor’s mansion and for a time as its district attorney. In fact, some would say that’s exactly the kind of resume one should have when running for president.

But he has to know he’s no match against Trump and possibly Florida’s Ron DeSantis.

Besides that, he all but admits that Trump isn’t likely to actually step down, despite his insistence that the former president should. He told Karl that while Trump should, everyone knows that he won’t, if for the sake of his ego alone.

Plus, did he really not know two days prior to this that he was going to run? Then why didn’t he mention it to Fox Business?

And that, folks, is both the beginning and end of Hutchinson’s 2024 run…