Arkansas’ Republican governor on Sunday knocked former President Donald Trump’s recent attacks on top party leaders as “divisive” and unhelpful for elected GOP officials around the country.
“Well, anything that is divisive is a concern and is not helpful for us fighting in the battles in Washington and at the state level,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” when asked about Trump having criticized top Republicans on Saturday while speaking to Republican National Committee donors. “In some ways, it’s not a big deal what he said, but at the same time whenever it draws attention, we don’t need that.”
“We need unity. We need to be focused together,” he added. “We have slim majorities or slim numbers in Washington and we got battles to fight. So we need to get beyond that.”
The comments from the governor come as top leaders in the party struggle to gain control of its direction in the wake of the former President’s loss. As Trump loyalists in Congress and at the state-level continue to support his vision for the party, others are looking for leadership elsewhere as the GOP aims for gains in the 2022 midterm election and recapturing the White House in 2024.