One of former President Trump’s rivals praised him on Tuesday for “showing strength” after the assassination attempt on his life.
Former Arkansas governor and GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson, who has been a frequent critic of Trump and declared he would not endorse him, commended the former president for how he handled himself when his life was threatened during a rally on Saturday.
CNN’s Jim Acosta asked Hutchinson about his past criticism of Trump and his thoughts about his running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
“Well, first of all, Donald Trump has done a good job in the way he has handled himself, showing strength at the time of the assassination attempt, understanding the importance of his candidacy to America,” Hutchinson said.
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He also drew this as a contrast to President Biden, who has faced waves of criticism and calls from Democrats to step aside after his disastrous debate performance last month.
“And you contrast that to Joe Biden and his debate performance, those are choices that really are stark. And so — and then, of course, how Donald Trump has handled himself afterwards saying, ‘This is an opportunity to bring America more together,’” Hutchinson continued.
He also praised Trump for inviting other GOP primary opponents like former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley.
“Trump’s steps have impressed me,” he said.
Trump announced on Monday that Vance would be his running mate, which Hutchinson responded by saying he would have picked someone else.
“Although I’d picked somebody else as VP, he won the nomination, that’s what he gets to do. For me, I’m gonna wait this out,” he said. “There’s time left, and I’m delighted to be here with my fellow Republicans, have a little bit more of an independent voice, but I want to wait and see how this shapes up for the fall.”
