Former President Donald Trump is taking aim at Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) for vetoing a bill that blocks minors from receiving certain gender-affirming treatments or surgeries.
Despite the fact that the Arkansas legislature voted to override Hutchinson’s veto, Trump released a statement shredding the governor.
On Thursday, he said, “Hutchinson, the lightweight RINO Governor of Arkansas, just vetoed a Bill that banned the CHEMICAL CASTRATION OF CHILDREN. ‘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!” Trump added.
Trump endorsed Huckabee Sanders for governor in 2022.
Hutchinson is term limited and cannot run again after his current term ends.
On Monday, Hutchinson vetoed legislation that would have made his state the first in the country to ban minors from receiving puberty blockers, hormones, or transition-related surgeries. It would also threaten to revoke the licenses of healthcare providers who provide such care.
Medical professionals argued that the legislation would block treatment that could prevent more suicides.
Hutchinson told NPR he vetoed the legislation because, “My own personal view that this is too extreme, it was too broad and did not grandfather in those young people who are currently under hormone treatment.”
“This puts a very vulnerable population in a more difficult position,” he continued. “It sends the wrong signal to them.”
He also told reporters that the bill represents a “vast government overreach.”
Arkansas’ Republican controlled-legislature voted on Tuesday to override Hutchinson’s veto.
Republicans have argued that such legislation protects minors from receiving medical procedures that they might regret later.
During an appearance on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Tuesday, Hutchinson said he would have signed the bill if it “had been a bill that simply prohibited chemical castration,” or just banned transition-related surgeries.
However, he said, “This is the first law in the nation that invokes the state between medical decisions, parents who consent to that and the decision of the patient. And so, this goes way too far.”
He also denied that he had caved to pressure from corporations in his state.
