Donald Trump on Monday attacked New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu despite the Republican’s recent announcement that he would support the former president in the 2024 race if he secured the GOP nomination, and even if he was a convicted felon.
Sununu, who mulled a presidential run himself, over the summer said Trump “has no chance of winning in November of ’24.”
But Sununu has changed his tune in recent weeks, saying he would back the four-times indicted Trump if GOP voters picked him as the party’s nominee, even if he was convicted.
“Make no mistake about it, Biden is that bad of a president that even Trump would win,” Sununu told CNN Wednesday.
In another interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday, Sununu doubled down on his comments, adding that he never said he wouldn’t support Trump if he was the nominee. Sununu, however, noted that former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the candidate who has secured his endorsement, has far greater chances of winning the general election and helping the GOP succeed “all the way down the ticket.”
“Republicans are going to support him,” Sununu said of Trump. “This would be a nail biter race come November. With Nikki Haley at the top if she wins by 10 points. It’s a fundamentally different argument because you get the Senate, you get the House seats, you get the governorships.”
He continued: “Donald Trump is just simply the weakest candidate. And so again, that’s the opportunity that Nikki brings to the table.”
Trump, who appeared not pleased by Sununu’s approach, lashed out at him and Haley in a post on Truth Social.
Sununu “was polling so low, including in his State of New Hampshire, that he correctly took a pass on formerly getting in,” Trump wrote. “He wouldn’t have had a chance, and now he’s politically dead.”
Trump also called Haley a “Birdbrain,” saying she “will never beat the Democrat Party in reality.”
Trump remains the front-runner in the race ahead of the Iowa caucuses, the first-in-the-nation nominating contest Monday.
While Haley is ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the state, according to the polls, Trump still leads both by double digits.
Haley also appears to be closing the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, but still trails him by over 11 points, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Sununu has said he won’t seek reelection in 2024, giving Democrats hope that they could claim the seat next year.