- Sununu criticized GOP lawmakers for their behavior during Biden's State of the Union Address.
- "My mother taught me manners first. Lead with a smile," the potential 2024 presidential contender said.
New Hampshire's Republican governor, Chris Sununu, criticized Republican lawmakers for their behavior during President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address on Tuesday, calling them "rude."
"The heckling from the crowd — it was just politics, politics, politics on both sides," Sununu said during a Thursday interview at Politico's The Fifty: America's Governors. "My mother taught me manners first. Lead with a smile. Own your issues."
During his nationally-televised speech, Biden was booed and heckled by Republicans and even called a "liar" by conservative firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
"The Republicans, frankly, were rude. I mean, there's no doubt about it," he said.
Sununu, who acknowledged he's considering a 2024 presidential bid, also faulted Biden for not owning the issues that have gone wrong during his administration and demonstrating that he was "very disconnected from reality."
Sununu also said Arkansas' GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' rebuttal to Biden's speech was "not helpful" when she characterized Republicans as "normal" and Democrats as "crazy."
"I love Sarah, by the way," he said. "I'm a big fan of hers, as well. But again, that response was very politically driven to a very politically driven speech."
Neither party, he said, should be labeling the other as crazy.
"Come on," he said. "We both have extremes. We're both dealing with it. It ain't fun, but we have to deal with it."