Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is expressing some pointed words about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, after endorsing Senator Marco Rubio earlier this week.
In a nationally broadcast interview Wednesday on NPR’s All Things Considered, Huchtinson said Republican leaders underestimated Trump’s strength and how he could tap into the frustration of American voters.
Hutchinson also said he hopes it’s not too late to change the likelihood of Trump winning the party’s nomination.
"I do not see his discussion of issues as serious. The words are frightening," Hutchinson tells ATC host Robert Segal. "Let's be realistic in our discussions and how we discuss these issues with the American people."
Hutchinson said he sees Senator Rubio as the right alternative who can win in November. Arkansas is one of a dozen states to vote in the presidential primaries next Tuesday.
Meanwhile all three of the leading Republican candidates, including Senator Ted Cruz, are to return to Arkansas for rallies this coming weekend.
Read NPR's coverage of the story and the transcript of the interview here.