Transcript: Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on “Face the Nation,” Jan. 14, 2024

The next is a transcript of an interview with 2024 Republican presidentidal candidate former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson that aired on Jan. 14, 2024.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We return now to the Republican presidential major contest and candidate Asa Hutchinson, who’s becoming a member of us from Des Moines. You have been sir a two-term governor, you helped discovered Homeland safety, you ran the DEA, you have been member of Congress. However Donald Trump has remade your get together. How do you outline who your supporters are?

ASA HUTCHINSON: Effectively, initially, you are right. Uh, he has redefined the Republican get together and never in a great way and everytime you take a look at what I am making an attempt to do is draw consideration to the truth that Donald Trump is a weak candidate for us going into the final election. I feel the CBS ballot that you just cited in the present day displays that, the one individual that must take pleasure in that ballot is Joe Biden with Trump having that form of a lead within the major, my accountability and different candidates is to tackle the entrance runner in case you do not agree that he is the suitable one, we have been doing that and there is perhaps a brief time period value for that, however long run worry, fear-mongering, and grievances solely take you thus far. And so that’s the signal of a weak candidate as you go additional into this election 12 months, so the voice is critically essential, to alert people who we will not mislead our voters and say January sixth was someway a patriotic act. It was an assault on our capital, the rule of legislation in Congress and we can not purchase into that deceptive by Donald Trump.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So sir, our CBS polling exhibits 81% of Republican major voters say they agree with the assertion that immigrants are poisoning the blood of the nation. what do you consider that assertion? an-and why is that resonating with self-identified Republican voters?

ASA HUTCHINSON: Effectively as a result of there’s unbelievable concern in regards to the border. As you discuss to voters right here in Iowa. Their primary concern is financial system equal to that’s border safety. And so, uh, I do not like his inflammatory language, I might by no means use that. Immigrants are essential to our nation, however we’ve to have the authorized course of and individuals are upset with the Biden administration and the porous border. That is why I could make the case successfully that I am the one one operating for president whose truly had that accountability of securing the border that resonates as effectively and I might moderately speak about it by way of what we have to do versus the pejorative of rhetoric that actually misleads individuals and hurts individuals.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Fentanyl is driving one of many deadliest dru-drug disaster on this nation’s historical past and most of that, I feel you recognize is available in by these authorized ports of entry into the US, however most of your opponents are squarely blaming China, squarely blaming Mexico. They do have guidelines right here as you recognize, however how would you take care of the general disaster in America?

ASA HUTCHINSON: Effectively, uh, it’s a must to do it by partnering with Mexico to go after the cartels who’re answerable for bringing the fentanyl in. They need to be declared overseas terrorist organizations, however your level may be very effectively taken. They’re smuggling that by the ports of entries and I noticed Senator Manchin speaking about, we have to shut down the border, What’s he speaking about? Is he speaking in regards to the ports of entry or between the ports of entry?

MARGARET BRENNAN: mm-hmm

ASA HUTCHINSON:  And absolutely you do not need to shut down all of our commerce it might damage America if we did that and so we gotta use higher applied sciences and you’ve got gotta companion with Mexico and use financial stress to perform that. After which we have-we can not neglect the significance of teaching our younger individuals in regards to the threat of shopping for a Percocet tablet on the road and the way that may very well be laced with fentanyl. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah. 

ASA HUTCHINSON: However we have to extend our drug remedy sources. All of that is part of my plan primarily based upon my expertise as head of the DEA.

MARGARET BRENNAN: While you say financial stress on Mexico, are you speaking about shutting down quickly, transit between the 2 as President Biden needed to do in December? Or are you speaking about placing tariffs on Mexico? Like Donald Trump says he needs to do.

ASA HUTCHINSON: Effectively, neither we’re gonna be returning, manufacturing again from, China and, the president might help lead and say, a few of that is gonna wind up in Mexico and our financial partnership’s essential. However as president, I’ll discourage that return of producing to Mexico if they do not assist the rule of legislation and companion with us. So there is a differe-different ranges of financial stress. And certain, I feel that we’ve to take sturdy measures to get their consideration to assist us however I feel you are able to do that with out hurting American companies that depend on that cross-border commerce.

MARGARET BRENNAN: All proper. Asa Hutchinson. Thanks for becoming a member of us in the present day.