New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu vows to be 'an aggressive proponent' of any GOP Trump foe: 'He's yesterday's news'
- New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu vowed to work with Trump's GOP primary foes.
- "I'm gonna be an aggressive proponent of everybody else," Sununu told the Associated Press.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu vowed to use his platform as leader of a key early state to boost former President Donald Trump's best-placed primary foe.
"I'm gonna be an aggressive proponent of everybody else (besides Trump) and a proponent of the Republican Party. Donald Trump does not represent the Republican Party," Sununu told the Associated Press. "He might be our nominee, but he doesn't represent the future. He's yesterday's news."
In response, Trump's campaign Steven Cheung pointed to the former president's commanding lead.
"Sadly, there are some people in this world who live their life in complete denial and are completely removed from reality," Cheung said in a statement.
Sununu has been an outspoken critic of Trump for quite some time. Nonetheless, his vow makes it clear that Trump will have to take down one of the most popular Republican figures in an early state. The former president is also clashing with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, meaning the race could begin with Trump taking on popular governors in the first two states to kick off the GOP nomination race. Unlike Sununu, Reynolds has tried to defuse the tensions.
The New Hampshire governor said that he's looking forward to stumping with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and former Texas U.S. Rep. Will Hurd in the coming weeks. Sununu's appearance with DeSantis is particularly notable since he once criticized the Florida governor.
"I'm number 1 in personal freedoms, right?" Sununu said during a Politico interview. "I'm sorry, Ron. You're number 2."
Sununu announced on Wednesday that he will not seek a fifth term in 2024. New Hampshire has no term limits. His decision has made Democrats optimistic that they can flip control.