Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire said Sunday that former President Donald J. Trump “absolutely contributed to an insurrection” and that Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election were “absolutely terrible” – but that nothing, not even felony convictions would stop him from voting for Mr. Trump because the economy, border security and “culture change” were more important.
The interview on ABC News’ “This Week” showed Mr. Sununu’s transition from Trump critic – while supporting Nikki Haley in the Republican primary, he said Mr. Trump was “worried about prison time” and “not a real Republican” – too loyal foot soldier.
It’s a shift that has been repeated again and again within the Republican Party and that Mr. Sununu foresaw back in January when he campaigned for Ms. Haley but said he would support Mr. Trump if he won the nomination.
“No one should be surprised by my support,” he said Sunday. “I think the real discussion is that Americans are moving away from Biden. That’s how bad Biden has become as president. There’s just no doubt about that, right? You can’t ignore inflation. You can’t ignore the line and say these courthouse problems are going to be the only thing that gets Biden back in office.”
The interviewer, George Stephanopoulos, pressed Mr. Sununu on why he was supporting a man who he said “contributed to the insurrection” on January 6.
Mr. Sununu reiterated that he still believed that. But he said it should surprise no one that a Republican governor would support a Republican candidate, and suggested that Mr. Stephanopoulos was out of touch with public opinion if he believed concerns about democracy or felony convictions would influence voters .
“You believe that a president who contributed to an insurrection should be president again?” asked Mr. Stephanopoulos.
“So does 51 percent of America, George,” Mr. Sununu said. “I’m serious. I understand that you’re part of the media, I understand that you’re in this New York City bubble or whatever, but you have to look around at what’s going on in this country.”
He continued: “It’s not just about supporting Trump. It’s about getting rid of what we have today. It’s about understanding that inflation crushes families. It’s about understanding that this border problem is not a Texas problem, but a 50-state problem that needs to be brought under control. It’s about this kind of elitism that the average American is just fed up with, and it’s a culture shift. That’s what I support.”
Inflation has fallen sharply since peaking in 2022, but was higher than expected in a report released last week.
Mr. Sununu said Americans’ desire for “culture change,” a phrase he used eight times but did not specifically define, concerns about Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the election or the four criminal cases he is facing. which the first one begins predominated this week.
Even if Mr. Trump wasn’t what he wanted as the Republican nominee, “we’ll take him on if we have to,” Mr. Sununu said. “That’s how badly America wants a culture change.”
Mr. Stephanopoulos fought back again.
“To sum it up: They would support him as president even if he were convicted in secret documents,” he said. “You support him for president even though you believe he contributed to an insurrection. You support him for president even though you believe he is lying about the last election. They would support him as president even if he were convicted in the Manhattan case. I just want to say the answer to that is yes, right?”
“Yes,” said Mr. Sununu. “Me and 51 percent of America.”
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2024-04-14 17:38:05
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