Sununu: ‘Chaos and distraction’ would prevent Trump from getting things done if reelected

by Nick Robertson - 12/16/23 10:26 AM ET

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu talks about his endorsement of Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley to a crowd of people at a Town Hall event at Tempesta’s, in Keene, N.H., on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) went after former President Trump on Friday, arguing that a second Trump term would be hampered by “chaos and distraction.”

“The guy just has chaos and distraction that follows him,” he said in an MSNBC interview Friday. “He’s not going to be able to get the stuff that we need done to fix this country.”

“Republicans want to go forward with the next generation of conservative leadership,” he continued, downplaying the former president. “We always want to be looking forward to the next opportunity to actually get stuff done. Not just looking in the rearview mirror, worrying about Trump litigating things.”

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Sununu endorsed former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley for the GOP nomination on Tuesday. He used Friday’s interview to springboard more reasons why he believes Haley is better suited for the White House.

“Her numbers were surging long before I even got on board because she’s connecting with folks,” he said.

“By doing that, by spending time on the ground with our voters, she’s earning their trust, and trust is a very rare thing in Washington nowadays. People are liking it,” he continued. “She’s got that charisma, more than any other candidate out there. And that connection is why you’re seeing her numbers jump up.”

Despite the endorsement, Sununu complimented her GOP primary rivals Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, calling them “great friends of mine” and “good candidates.” He offered no compliment for Trump or biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Haley has been gaining momentum in the polls, notably in New Hampshire, and often coming in second place. But, Trump still remains the clear GOP front-runner.

The former South Carolina governor has about 20 percent support to Trump’s 46 percent, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ polling average

Sununu downplayed those polling figures.

“Most folks in New Hampshire still won’t make up their mind for the next few weeks, so we have about six weeks to go here,” he said.