Tucker Questions Ends GOP Primary Candidates Career - Watch
Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson was grilled by Fox News host Tucker Carlson this weekend over his past veto of a bill that would have banned transgender procedures for minors.
During a tense exchange at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa, Carlson asked Hutchinson why he believes hormones are “treatment” as opposed to “something else,” suggesting that it is a permanent alteration of the body and brain of a child.
“I believe in a limited role of government,” Hutchinson said in defense of his veto. “And so, you know, I don’t think that California ought to be able to tell parents, ‘you need to have gender affirming care for the children.’ The government should not do that.”
He added that he stands with parents and believes there are extreme cases in which the government’s involvement may be necessary.
“Let’s let parents guide the children,” Hutchinson urged.
But when Carlson suggested that hormone therapy is permanent, Hutchinson appeared to disagree.
“Permanent change is one issue,” he said. “But also hormonal treatment is a different issue and can be a different issue.”
The exchange comes two years after Hutchinson first vetoed the legislation, which did not include a grandfather clause. Since then, multiple federal judges have struck the bill down as unconstitutional.
Despite Carlson’s persistent questioning, Hutchinson was firm in his stance, refusing to offer a clearer answer on why he still believes that hormone therapy is “treatment.”
The debate over transgender procedures for minors has been a growing issue in the 2020 election cycle, and those in favor of the ban, including Carlson, called out Hutchinson’s position as out-of-touch with conservative values.
For his part, Hutchinson has argued that it should be up to parents to decide how best to raise their children and denied that hormone therapy is in any way permanent. But that answer isn’t likely to satisfy everyone.
At the end of their exchange, Carlson said nothing had been resolved, admitting to the audience that it was “a sore subject.” And with the numbers of transgender minors in the United States steadily increasing, it’s likely to remain one for some time.
Asa responds to question about child transition surgeries: "Tucker, I hope we'll be able talk about some issues."
Tucker: "This is one of the biggest issues in the country. It is a central issue. These are children who are being altered permanently."
Audience: *erupts*… pic.twitter.com/8IevOPa6ho
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 14, 2023