Global Courant 2023-05-04 18:14:28
New Hampshire Republican Governor Chris Sununu said his repeated comments to Donald Trump that the former president cannot win back the White House in 2024 are “nothing personal.”
However, Trump, who launched the White House for a third consecutive time in November, appears to be taking the criticism personally.
“Isn’t he a nasty guy?” Trump said about Sununu when the former president held a campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire, last Thursday.
Trump, who is the clear front-runner at this early point in the 2024 GOP nomination race, swept Sununu for teasing but ultimately decided not to run for the Senate in 2022 against Democratic incumbent Senator Maggie Hassan, on whom the Republicans had targeted it heavily and seen it as vulnerable.
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Former President Trump speaks at a campaign event on April 27, 2023 in Manchester, New Hampshire. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
“He could have really made an impact,” Trump said of Sununu. “He could have run for Senate. He probably would have won easily because of the family name, would have won. And that would have been great.’
Referring to Sununu’s potential presidential run in 2024, Trump said “he wants to play games with the presidency instead.”
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When asked about Trump’s comments, the popular Republican governor told reporters Wednesday, “I didn’t really see his speech.”
Republican Governor Chris Sununu sits down for an interview with Fox News, at the Statehouse in Concord, New Hampshire, on Jan. 4, 2023. (Fox news)
“We all, as Republicans, need someone who can win in November ’24. Full stop, end of story, that’s it. If you can’t assure the Republican Party that you can cross the line in November ’24 – and it is it’s pretty clear he can’t — then we’ll have to find someone else. That’s it. It’s nothing personal. We’ll continue as a party,” Sununu said.
Sununu endorsed Trump during the 2016 general election and again when the then president unsuccessfully ran for re-election in 2020. The governor had a strong working relationship with the Trump White House, including close ties to then Vice President Mike Pence.
However, Sununu has long opposed Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged” and “stolen.” In early 2021, he also started saying that the GOP is bigger than any person, which was seen as a swipe at the former president.
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Beginning last fall, Sununu stepped up his criticism of the former president in numerous national interviews on the cable news networks and Sunday talk shows.
Sununu took aim at Trump for possibly skipping the first Republican presidential primary debate in August, saying on Fox News’ “Sunday Night in America” last weekend that “Leaders don’t give a shit. They’re going to have a lot of explaining to do.”
Sununu has been teasing a 2024 presidential campaign for months and has said he will likely decide in early summer, following the conclusion of New Hampshire’s current legislative session and the signing of the next two-year state budget.
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“My family is behind me,” Sununu told Fox News on Sunday.
“My mission right now is to make the party bigger,” said the governor. “If that means going on stage and I can do it in the best way, then I’m going to do it. I think that would be a lot of fun and I guarantee Fox a lot of great ratings. But if I can be a better helper and being more of a team player by helping other candidates, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Paul Steinhauser is a political reporter from New Hampshire.
