Jeff Hutt to Discuss Pandemic Preparedness at Washington University Event
News related to:Washington University · 2 min read
from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. The event is hosted by the WashU Bursky School of Public Health and will be available in a hybrid format.
The live recording of the Why Should I Trust You? podcast by journalist Brinda Adhikari will take place at Holmes Lounge, located at 4444 Forest Park Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri. Mike ter Maat, a candidate for the Republican Party’s 2028 nomination for Vice President, will also attend the event and participate in the audience discussion and Q&A following the taping.
Hutt will emphasize the importance of medical freedom, informed consent, constitutional limits on emergency powers, decentralized decision-making, transparency in government-funded biological research, and accountability for the institutions that managed the COVID response. The discussion will place panelists with differing perspectives inside a hypothetical new pandemic, confronting decisions involving mitigation, medical interventions, emergency powers, government communications, and individual liberty.
The event is part of a broader conversation about pandemic preparedness and the role of government. Rather than simply revisiting COVID-19, the event will place panelists with differing perspectives inside a hypothetical new pandemic. Participants will confront decisions involving mitigation, medical interventions, emergency powers, government communications, and individual liberty.
Jeff Hutt serves as National Field Director for the Mike ter Maat for Vice President campaign and sits on the national board of the Republican Liberty Caucus and the board of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas. Hutt previously served as National Field Director for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign and is a well-known campaign strategic advisor to Texas Republican political candidates.
Mike ter Maat is seeking the Republican Party’s 2028 nomination for Vice President through a campaign unlike the traditional vice-presidential selection process. Rather than leaving sole responsibility for the selection of a vice-presidential nominee on the presidential nominee, ter Maat is campaigning directly for the vice-presidential nomination and is arguing that convention delegates, not one presidential candidate and a small circle of advisers, should exercise their authority to select the party’s vice-presidential nominee. The campaign describes a campaign for vice president as unprecedented in the history of the Republican Party.
The campaign supports pandemic preparedness with clear limits on government authority. Emergency powers should have explicit legal authorization, legislative oversight, narrow purposes, and expiration dates. Medical freedom and informed consent should remain protected, while state and local decision-makers should retain substantial authority. The campaign also supports greater transparency and oversight of government-funded research involving dangerous pathogens.
Accountability must respect due process: establish the facts, investigate independently, and prosecute crimes when supported by evidence. The campaign argues that convention delegates, not one presidential candidate and a small circle of advisers, should exercise their authority to select the party’s vice-presidential nominee. Ter Maat says the change would strengthen the independence of the vice presidency while giving delegates a meaningful role in building the national ticket.
Mike ter Maat was the Libertarian Party’s 2024 vice-presidential nominee before returning to the Republican Party. He previously served as a White House economist, economics professor, entrepreneur, professional free-market advocate, congressional candidate, and police officer.
The event will also be available for remote interviews before and after October 27.