politics
Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire said Sunday that former President Donald Trump “absolutely contributed to an insurrection” and that Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election were “absolutely terrible” – but that nothing, not even felony convictions, would stop him from voting for Trump are true since the economy, border security, etc. “cultural change” are more necessary.
The interview on ABC News' “This Week” showed Sununu's transition from Trump critic — while supporting Nikki Haley within the Republican primary, he said Trump was “worried about prison time” and “not a real Republican” — to loyal foot soldiers.
It's a shift that has been repeated time and again throughout the Republican Party and that Sununu foresaw back in January when he campaigned for Haley but said he would support 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 Sununu on January 6, 2021 about why he was supporting a person he said “contributed to the insurrection.”
Sununu reiterated that he still believed that. But he said it should surprise no one which a Republican governor would support a Republican candidate, noting that 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 Stephanopoulos.
“So does 51% of America, George,” 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. The point is to understand that this border problem is not a Texas problem; It's 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.
Sununu said Americans' desire for a “culture change,” a phrase he used eight times but didn’t specifically define, outweighed concerns about Trump's efforts to overturn the election or the 4 criminal trials he’s facing, the primary of which begins this week.
Even if Trump wasn't what he wanted because the Republican nominee, “we'll take him on if we have to,” Sununu said. “That’s how badly America wants a culture change.”
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,” Sununu said. “Me and 51% of America.”
image credit : www.boston.com