As the Republican primary heats up, most of the attention has been spent on frontrunners Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis thanks in no small part to the former president’s almost daily rants about his challenger. DeSantis has also been garnering headlines for his ongoing feud with Disney, which has earned him criticism from his own party.
One such Republican is former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who is also running for the top of the GOP ticket. Hutchinson has been openly critical of Trump, but during a Tuesday morning appearance on The View, he aimed his ire at DeSantis for failing to adhere to the conservative principles of small government.
At issue is DeSantis’ penchant for attacking businesses, and not just Disney. During the pandemic, Hutchinson claims DeSantis went after other companies that disagreed with him, and the Arkansas governor doesn’t like it.
GOP presidential candidate @AsaHutchinson tells #TheView Gov. Ron DeSantis “punished businesses who disagreed with him” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s not Republican… to say we’re going to use the power of government to go after a business that we disagree with.” pic.twitter.com/1UBUqCIMz2
— The View (@TheView) May 30, 2023
Via The View on Twitter:
You asked about Ron DeSantis. We govern similarly, a little bit different, but you know, a lot of freedom during the pandemic. I didn’t classify businesses as essential or non-essential. If a business provides a job for a family, my judgement is that it was essential. But he took it a step further and he went after- he punished businesses who disagreed with him.
Fundamentally, it’s not small government. It’s not Republican. It’s not conservative to say we’re going to use the power of government to go after a business that we disagree with.
Hutchinson also differentiated himself from DeSantis in another significant way. When asked if he would pardon Trump, which DeSantis is open to doing, Hutchinson bluntly responded with a laugh, “No.”
(Via The View on Twitter)