Arkansas Gov. Hutchinson talks mask mandates and teases possible presidential run

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas joins Yahoo News National Correspondent Alexander Nazaryan for a wide-ranging discussion including why Arkansas has reversed the decision to ban local governments from implementing mask mandates. Hutchinson also reacts to praise from the Biden administration for his handling of the Delta variant and hints at a potential run for the White House in 2024.

Video transcript

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: You're obviously a conservative. And one of the bedrock principles of conservatism is individual freedom. And a lot of people have cited individual freedom as the reason why mask mandates are wrong. How do you square your conservatism with your support for masking?

ASA HUTCHINSON: Well, there's two ways. I mean, first of all, part of your individual freedom is that you decide to live in a community. And when you decide to live in a community, there are certain responsibilities that go with that, including a regard for other people's health. We don't expect somebody with smallpox to be running around in the neighborhood. And so there is an individual responsibility when you decide to join a community.

Secondly, there's a conservative principle that it's the government closest to the people that governs the best. And so for that reason, we don't need a state-wide mandate telling the school districts what they can and cannot do at this stage of the pandemic. And they ought to have the freedom to say what their public health measures will be based on what's happening in their community. So to me, my position is consistent with conservative traditional principles as well as common sense.

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: You said a word that I think we don't said enough in politics, which is responsibility. And forgetting the labels of conservative, progressive, liberal, whatever, have we just forgotten, as a nation, our responsibility to each other?

ASA HUTCHINSON: Well, for those who advocate that it ought to be total individual decision making on public health issues, yes, we've lost sight of that sense of community and responsibility to others. We make a decision that we want to live in a community. And that's part of it. It's responsibility.

And usually we exercise that very well. We join together for public schools. That's a community effort. We join together for trash pickup days. That's a community effort. And so we do it. But something about this pandemic has just warned people to frazzle. And I think we have lost some of that sense of community and responsibility that goes with living in that community.

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: The White House has been in war with certain Republican governors that you may have seen. But when I asked them which Republican governors are doing the right thing, you were the first name.

Who are two or three Republican governors who are getting things right in the view of the White House right now on COVID?

JEN PSAKI: There are a number. We've talked about Asa Hutchinson, who's taken a number of steps.

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: I'm just curious what it's been like to have the president, the White House single you out for something like this.

ASA HUTCHINSON: Well, to me, it represents the best of American politics, that we don't feel compelled to criticize somebody just because they have a different political stripe. And that should go both for Republicans and Democrats. So I appreciated what the president had to say. I think that reflects when you're in a pandemic, it's not really a partisan issue. And we're all working hard to get through it.

Now, with my Republican base, it probably didn't help me any. And I say that jokingly. It's always an honor whenever you're recognized in that way. But we can work together on these issues. There are plenty I disagree about with President Biden. And I express myself on that. But we shouldn't hesitate just to say, well done when there's something that you agree upon.

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: Now, I would be remiss if I didn't ask you about this. There's been some talk that you may eventually want to come to Washington and seek higher office, the presidency of course. Could you speak to that?

ASA HUTCHINSON: Well, what I'll say is that I would like to see someone with the views that I've just expressed of common sense conservatism, of leaders that are willing to work in a bipartisan way as needed. I would like to see that kind of leadership in our country and most specifically in the Republican Party. And so I want to be supporting that in 2022. And you see where that leads. But I am concerned about that. That motivates me. I hope to be engaged in setting the right tone for our future.