- Gov. Chris Sununu gave a thumbs down to Trump's chances against Biden in a potential 2024 matchup.
- "The country is going to push back against it," Sununu said of a Trump general election candidacy.
New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu on Sunday said that former President Donald Trump won't be able defeat President Joe Biden in a potential 2024 matchup, arguing that the former commander-in-chief would be seen as an "extreme candidate."
During an interview on ABC's "This Week," Sununu was frank with journalist Jonathan Karl when asked about his thoughts on Trump's prospects should the former president win the GOP nomination for the White House next year.
"Unfortunately, at the end of the day, November of '22 showed us that, right? Trump is going to be seen as a very extreme candidate. The country is going to push back against it," the governor said.
On Sunday, a newly-released Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Trump narrowly leading Biden 48%-44% among registered voters, with Democrats overwhelmingly backing the president and Republicans firmly behind the former president. The results showed Trump with a 50%-41% lead among Independents, which helped give him a slight edge in the survey.
Still, Sununu was not convinced that Trump would be truly competitive with Biden next year.
"Just look at the results of three months ago, and that shows you where extreme candidates are going to end up falling. It can't get done," he told Karl. "He could get the nomination, but he can't get [it] done."
Sununu — who has been critical of Biden's presidency — said that GOP voters need to nominate the most conservative candidate who can win a general election.
The governor, who was elected to his fourth term in office last November, told Karl that he was still mulling a presidential campaign of his own.
"Definitely thinking about it, having those conversations, but at the end of the day, you're going to have a lot of Republicans that get in that race," he said. "They're all really good people; they're really good candidates. You have Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo and Governor DeSantis and a lot of folks who are going to get in."
At the moment, Trump remains the only declared major candidate in the race, while Haley is set to enter the contest later this month.