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Trump Savages 'RINO' Gov. Who Vetoed SAFE Act: 'Bye-bye Asa'

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  April 08, 2021 6:45 PM

President Donald Trump savaged Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) on Thursday for vetoing the Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act, or the SAFE Act. As Leah reported, it "restricts 'gender affirming' chemical or surgical treatments for those under the age of 18, regardless of parental consent." The legislature overrode the veto by a vote of 71-24 in the state House and 25-8 in the state Senate. 

The former president we know and miss certainly came out in such a statement. "Asa Hutchinson, the lightweight RINO Governor of Arkansas, just vetoed a Bill that banned the CHEMICAL CASTRATION OF CHILDREN," Trump said in a statement Tuesday, using an acronym for "Republican in name only." “ 'Bye-bye Asa,' that’s the end of him! Fortunately for the Great State of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders will do a fantastic job as your next Governor!," it read, caps and all.

As I reported last month, the governor did sign the "To Create the Fairness in Women's Sports Act," which bans biological men from competing in women's sports.

The American Principles Project (APP), which supported the legislation, issued a statement on April 6 praising the bill's passage. The statement, from Jon Schweppe, the director of policy and government affairs for APP, in part read: “It is unfortunate that the law’s passage had to come over the veto of Gov. Hutchinson. While the governor claimed he was acting out of a conservative concern for restraining government, restraint is not always a good thing. The governor himself admitted that it was important for the state to act to protect life in preventing ideologically motivated doctors from performing abortions. The same principle obviously applies in this case as well, and we are grateful the legislature had the courage to act to protect the health and well-being of children.”

APP also released the following statement from Schweppe Thursday night:

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“The American people overwhelmingly oppose the practice of giving children experimental, life-altering drugs in a dubious attempt to 'change' their sex. And yet, for some reason, some Republicans still seem hesitant to stand up on this issue. But not Donald Trump. 

“As we saw over and over during his presidency and since, Trump has incredible political instincts. He is not afraid to lead on important issues even when facing fierce attacks from elite institutions. And today, he has again shown he is willing to stand with the majority of the American people and against powerful, left-wing interests, defending biological reality and medical sanity against ideologues who would push kids into dangerous, unproven procedures.

“We are grateful for Trump’s willingness to speak out on this issue and we encourage other Republicans to follow his lead in order to protect our nation’s children.”

Trump was not the only one to call Gov. Hutchinson out in such a spectacular fashion. Leah's reporting focused on the exchange between the governor and Tucker Carlson on "Tucker Carlson Tonight." You can watch the exchange below.