Gov. Chris Sununu says he’s considering a run for president, as the Granite State Republican governor ripped into former President Donald Trump for what he called a “very mundane speech” in New Hampshire over the weekend.
Sununu also said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who hasn’t formally announced a 2024 run for the White House, would “probably win New Hampshire right now without a doubt.”
The Granite State governor’s comments on Sunday came after Trump hit the trail in Salem on Saturday, and in the wake of a poll showing DeSantis ahead in the 2024 New Hampshire GOP primary.
Sununu on Sunday was asked when he’ll make a decision if he’ll run for president.
“I don’t have a timeline,” Sununu responded on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I mean obviously folks are talking about it, but I really don’t have a timeline. I’m spending a lot of time nationally trying to grow the party as Republicans, talk to independents, talk to the next generation of potential Republican voters that right now no one is really reaching out to.”
The CNN show’s host then asked Sununu if he’s “considering” a run for president. The New Hampshire governor said, “Yes.”
The recent University of New Hampshire poll showed DeSantis leading Trump by a 42% to 30% margin in the 2024 New Hampshire primary. Nikki Haley was in third place in the poll with 8%, followed by Sununu with 4%.
“Obviously, Ron DeSantis is looking to run for president, which is fine,” Sununu said. “And he would probably win New Hampshire right now without a doubt.”
“I’m surprised I’m on that poll at all, frankly, because we haven’t really been talking about that,” he later added.
DeSantis is laying a foundation for a national presidential campaign, The Washington Post reported over the weekend. His political team has identified potential hires in New Hampshire and Iowa, the Post reported.
Trump on Saturday was the keynote speaker at the Republican State Committee meeting held at the high school in Salem. He promised supporters that he would make sure New Hampshire keeps its “first-in-the-nation” primary status if he returned to the White House.
Sununu was asked if Trump could win the New Hampshire primary again in 2024.
“I don’t think he will,” Sununu said, but added that Trump “could.”
“Obviously, he started this campaign after the election in ’22,” Sununu said. “That obviously had a lot of stumbling blocks that he was trying to overcome. He comes to New Hampshire, and, frankly he gives a very mundane speech. The response we have received is: He read his teleprompter, he stuck to the talking points, he went away.
“So he’s not really bringing that fire, that energy, I think that a lot of folks saw in ’16,” the governor said. “I think, in many ways, it was a little disappointing to some folks. And even he acknowledged it wasn’t his best.”
Trump will “have to earn it,” Sununu added.
“And that’s New Hampshire,” he said. “Even if you’re the former president, you got to come and earn it person to person.”
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Rather than running himself, he should be Backing Destantis!