Huntsman: I Wouldn't Hesitate to Call on Rich to Sacrifice

VOTE 2012 -- August 25, 2011 at 1:40 PM EDT

Huntsman: I Wouldn't Hesitate to Call on Rich to Sacrifice

In an interview Thursday morning with The PBS NewsHour's Jeffrey Brown, GOP presidential hopeful and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said Americans of all income levels -- including the wealthy -- will need to share sacrifices to revive the American economy.

"As president, I wouldn't hesitate to call on a sacrifice from all of our people, even those at the very highest end of the income spectrum," Huntsman said. "I'm not saying higher taxes, but there are contributions they can make too."

Huntsman went on to suggest those contributions could come in the form of means testing Medicare and Social Security.

In addition, on the issue of whether to extend the payroll tax cuts set to expire in January, Huntsman had this to say:

"I think the payroll tax cut is a good thing. I think it helps a whole lot of people. And I think it's something that would serve to stimulate this economy going forward ... I would consider extending it."

Brown asked Huntsman whether he was wrong to oppose President Obama's decision to intervene in Libya alongside NATO.

The presidential contender said he maintains that military intervention in Libya is not in the core national security interest of the United States.

"We applaud the rebels," he said, but added that the future of the United States is not tied to Libya, Iraq or even Afghanistan.

Huntsman also discussed his GOP challengers, his chances against President Obama in the general election and his recent tweet jabbing Rick Perry that garnered a lot of attention:

To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet ReplyJon Huntsman
JonHuntsman

Video and transcript of the full interview will be available online later this afternoon. The interview will also air on Thursday's NewsHour broadcast.

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