Not being convicted felon in 'plus column’: Libertarian candidate

(NewsNation) — While much of the country was glued to their televisions and phones for updates on Donald Trump’s hush money trial and eventual conviction, Chase Oliver was busy campaigning for president.

“I didn’t pay a ton of attention to the trial itself,” said Oliver, the Libertarian Party’s nominee for president in 2024.

Oliver told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas that he didn’t watch much of the trial but believes Trump will now likely have more to say about the criminal justice system.

“Donald Trump is likely to start talking about the problems with our justice system, the injustices in our justice system. But during his four years as president, there were millions of people who had problems in our justice system that he completely ignored,” Oliver said, referencing Trump’s policies on mandatory minimum sentencing and support for the death penalty.

“He starts caring about it once it affects him,” Oliver said.

The 38-year-old Tennessee native who worked in the restaurant business prior to getting into politics said he’s more interested in the Libertarian Party’s platform.

“We’re (Libertarians) for maximum freedom, he said. “Ending taxation, getting rid of all this excess government, and of course, we’re the most pro-Second Amendment party in the United States.”

The Libertarian Party nominated Oliver last week, rejecting former Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after they each spoke at the party’s convention. Trump appeared at the convention to give a speech that was repeatedly booed by many in the room. It did not pay off with the endorsement he requested.

Oliver, however, walked with the nomination.

His campaign website calls for major cuts to the federal budget with an eye toward balancing the budget, the abolition of the death penalty, the closure of all overseas military bases and the ending of military support to Israel and Ukraine.

Third parties have rarely been competitive in U.S. presidential elections, and the Libertarian candidate four years ago won just 1% of the vote.

Oliver acknowledged the party has work to do in getting its message out.

“What we can do is start working towards reducing the state and showing the proof of concept of what limited government looks like — how we actually can increase prosperity for the average American family,” Oliver said.

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