Asa Hutchinson, Chris Christie rule out supporting Trump if he’s Republican nominee

WASHINGTON – All but two of the eight candidates participating in Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate said they would support former President Donald Trump if he is the GOP’s nominee in 2024 — even if he is convicted of a crime before Election Day.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were the only candidates to say they would not back a convicted Trump’s bid for the White House, despite signing a pre-debate pledge that they would support whomever becomes the party’s standard-bearer.

The Republican Party required all candidates make the pledge to be eligible to participate in the debate.

Indicted in four criminal cases across the country since late March, the 77-year-old former president remains the Republican frontrunner as he faces 91 state and federal charges.

“Here is the bottom line. Someone’s got to stop normalizing this conduct,” Christie said. “Whether or not you believe the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of president of the United States.”

He was immediately booed by the crowd, but then quipped: “This is the great thing about this country, booing is allowed but it doesn’t change the truth.”  

Calling Trump’s candidacy “an important issue we as a party have to face,” Hutchinson said Trump was “morally disqualified from being president again” – and may also be disqualified under the 14th Amendment “as a result of the insurrection” at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Written just after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment includes a “disqualification clause” holding that no one who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the United States may “hold any office” in government.

The six other candidates – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy – indicated they would support Trump if he bests them for the nomination in 11 months time.