- The DNC ridiculed the former governor of Arkansas, who received just 191 votes in Iowa
- Biden himself received only 1 percent there in 2008
- Chief of Staff called with apology; Biden ‘admires the race he ran’
The White House took the extraordinary step of apologizing for a Democratic Party statement mocking defeated Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson after he suspended his campaign following Donald Trump’s landslide in Iowa.
Biden’s re-election campaign is based on countering the threat he believes Trump poses to American democracy. But on Monday evening, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee ridiculed Hutchinson, the last remaining Republican candidate who had not said he would pardon Trump.
“This news comes as a shock to those of us who could have sworn he had already dropped out,” DNC national press secretary Sarafina Chitika said in a caustic official party statement on his withdrawal.
The White House rejected the statement on Wednesday after commentators noted it could alienate potential supporters.
Biden has “deep respect for Gov. Hutchinson and admires the race he ran,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said from the White House podium on Wednesday.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients called former Arkansa Governor Asa Hutchinson to apologize after the DNC mocked his withdrawal from the race for the White House.
She said Biden views him as “a principled man who cares about our country.”
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients “called on the governor to apologize on behalf of the president” for the statements “that did not represent the president’s views,” she said.
She dodged whether further action would be taken at the DNC.
The apology for the rude comment comes as Biden faces internal pressure to improve the effectiveness of his campaign as a series of polls show him trailing Trump.
The DNC ripped Hutchinson when he suspended his campaign
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson suspended his presidential campaign after a poor outcome in Iowa
Biden has called Trump a threat to democracy
Gutter ball: The DNC mocked Hutchinson after he suspended his campaign
The apology came amid Democratic calls for Biden to send heavyweights to his campaign
Biden faces pressure to appeal to anti-Trump Republicans, amid polls showing him trailing Donald Trump
Campaigns are won at the margins, and Democratic and Republican observers were shocked that the Biden camp would not try to seize an opportunity to cultivate, rather than alienate, a group of anti-Trump Republicans who would consider running in November to cross the border.
Conservative pundit Bill Kristol wrote: “Hey @DNC: I assume you want the support in November of that segment of Republicans who admire Asa for being a decent and principled person, and for not bending the knee to Trump? Or is Biden so far ahead that you don’t need every potential crossover vote? Your friend, Bill.”
Hutchinson presented an unusual target. His campaign in Iowa received only 191 votes. Although he had criticized Trump, his “return to normal” campaign displayed many of the hallmarks of civility that Biden regularly says must be brought back to modern politics.
But the former governor, members of the House of Representatives, Bush administration official and veteran bowler were unable to stop Trump’s support in Iowa. In his own statement on withdrawing from the race, he congratulated Trump and his other opponents.
Although Jean-Pierre didn’t mention it, Biden has firsthand experience with being outed in Iowa. He scored just 1 percent of the vote there in 2008, before caucus winner Barack Obama finally put him on the map.