White House chief of staff Jeff Zients called former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday morning to apologize after the Democratic National Committee released a snarky statement to mark the end of the Republican’s presidential bid.

Hutchinson, who ran a campaign designed to take on and criticize Donald Trump, dropped out of the race after a sixth-place in the Iowa caucuses this week.

“This news comes as a shock to those of us who could’ve sworn he had already dropped out,” DNC spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said after Hutchinson announced his exit Tuesday.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre, when asked about the exchange during Wednesday’s press briefing, said President Joe Biden has a “deep respect” for the governor and “admires the race he ran.”

“The president knows him to be a man of principle who cares about our country and has a strong record of public service,” Jean-Pierre said. “This morning, the chief of staff here, Jeff Zients, called the governor to convey this and apologized for the statement that did not represent the president’s views.”

Trump saw a decisive win in Iowa earlier this week, as Hutchinson and other anti-Trump Republicans have struggled to break through in a Republican Party that remains under the former president’s strong hold.