Hutchinson: Americans won't back Trump if he's a convicted felon

(NewsNation) — Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson thinks Donald Trump’s legal woes could throw the GOP into disarray right before the 2024 election and says Americans won’t support a convicted felon.

“Even though [the electorate] might support Trump now, if he’s convicted of a crime, they’re not going to elect him President of the United States, nor should they,” Hutchinson told NewsNation’s Connell McShane Thursday.

The former Arkansas governor is one of the few GOP candidates who’s consistently criticized Trump on the campaign trail, but so far, that strategy has been unsuccessful. He’s polling around 0.5% heading into Monday’s Iowa caucuses, while Trump remains the clear front-runner.

But Hutchinson is undeterred and called Trump’s legal issues “shameful.”

“We’re competing against him because we think there’s a better path with having a nominee that doesn’t have these distractions and can actually lead our party to a win in 2024,” Hutchinson said.

You can watch the interview with Asa Hutchinson in the player above.