All posts tagged "chris sununu"

'You're just okay with it?' CNN host hammers ex-Trump foe for now bending knee to Musk

CNN anchor Kate Bolduan asked former Clinton Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers to weigh in on the fatalistic views held by some Republicans when it comes to Elon Musk having access to sensitive government information.

On Tuesday's News Central, Bolduan began, "Just earlier in the show, Secretary, I had the former Republican Governor of New Hampshire on, Chris Sununu, and he campaigned against Donald Trump ... he was for Nikki Haley. So, he says he doesn't like him, but he now says that this does not worry him at all.

"He actually applauds Elon Musk's move going into the Treasury and going into this payment system."

Bolduan then played a clip of her confrontation with Sununu.

"Do you know how many people have your Social Security number right now?" Sununu said.

"So, you're just saying, 'Cool?" Bolduan countered.

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"I'm saying I don't like it, but that's the society we live in. I mean, it really is, guys. So many people that you don't know that have no security clearance, have all that information. Don't fool yourself."

"You're just okay with it? You're just okay with him having access to the Treasury Department information?" Bolduan pressed.

"I understand that about a million people have access to my Social Security number right now. And if you don't think that's the case, America, I'm sorry. It just is."

After the clip finished, Bolduan asked Summers what he thought of Sununu's assertion.

"I think there needs to be a lot of reform," Summers said. "There are a lot of wasteful payments the government makes. The government's computer systems could be modernized and upgraded — but that's no excuse for abandoning the rule of law. That's no excuse for allowing the president to do what the Supreme Court rejected when Richard Nixon did it in terms of just cutting off payments. That's no excuse for not vetting the people who are doing it. That's no excuse for politicizing positions that have been held as nonpolitical positions for the last 75 years."

Summers concluded, "What we need for the country is, find the will to reform, but to do it in ways that are legal."

Watch the clip below via CNN.

'Honeymoon's over': Gov tells Fox News that Harris' team doing her 'massive disservice'

The Republican governor of New Hampshire thinks Vice President Kamala Harris' team is doing her a disservice and warned her Thursday on Fox News: "Honeymoon's over."

Chris Sununu hopped on "Your World with Neil Cavuto" and said that while "August was a great honeymoon period," she's now back home — and Americans want some accountability with their leaders.

Sununu called the debate next week a "pivotal" event and said it won't just be about who has the better plan on each issue, but "who comes off as more competent, who can kind of hold their own, show their professionalism, show a sense of leadership for the country."

He then surmised that Democrats are "scared" of how Harris will come across.

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"Because they don't let her talk to the press," he said. "That she's going to get into these circular arguments of gobbledygook and God knows what she's going to say."

The Republican said he believes Harris' team has done her a "massive disservice."

"You get better at a debate, you get better at asking questions when you interact with the press, when you get the feedback, when you feel more confident on your toes," he said.

Sununu's comments come a week after Harris sat down with CNN anchor Dana Bash last week for her first interview as presidential nominee. During the interview, she was asked about her day-one priorities, her evolving views on fracking and more.

Watch the clip below or at this link.

Fox News host fact-checks Republican governor who claimed 35 percent inflation

Fox News host Neil Cavuto gave New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu a math lesson on inflation during his Thursday afternoon broadcast after Sununu seemed to imply that the effects of inflation are cumulative.

While discussing the increased costs of living, Sununu said voters won’t look at the economy's recent strength, but rather price hikes that have come over President Joe Biden’s term.

“They are going to look at what's happened over the last 4 years – That’s where you are looking at 25, 30, 35 percent inflationary and cost increases on a lot of things,” Sununu said.

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If Trump can maintain his focus and professionalism on the campaign trail, Sununu says he’ll come out on top in November, but, “as soon as he goes off tangent that's where he’s letting Democrats take the election that should be his by a landslide.”

Cavuto asked Sununu to circle back to the 35-percent figure, “What’s that?”

“People will look at the cost of living over the life of the administration – so that's 10 percent inflation, 2020 or 2021, another 12 percent, another 7 percent, another 4 percent…” Sununu said. “It’s cumulative, it keeps adding up.”

“But it doesn’t,” Cavuto interrupted, talking over Sununu. “I know it looks that way, but it doesn’t. It's the rate of increases going — I don't mean the ... — you're right the inflation is weird, but the rate of increases is slowing down. You don't take these increases and just add them up.”

Watch the clip below or at this link.

'Pathetic': Ex-GOP lawmaker slams Republican governor for 'selling his soul' to Trump

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu (R) has been extremely critical of Donald Trump in the past, but on Sunday he downplayed the former president's recent remarks that Christians "won’t have to vote anymore" if Republicans win this election.

That didn't sit well with former Tea Party Republican congressman Joe Walsh, a Trump critic who recently said that the ex-president issued a "direct attack on democracy."

Speaking on ABC, Sununu was asked about Trump's recent comments, in which Trump said, “Get out and vote just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years it will be fixed. It’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”

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“I think it was a classic Trumpism if you will,” Sununu said Sunday. "Obviously we want everybody to vote in all elections, but I think he was just trying to make a hyperbolic point that it can be fixed as long as he gets back into office and all that."

Walsh took to social media to slam the Republican governor.

"As a Republican, I refused to sell my soul to Trump. Which is why I’m now a 'former' Republican," he said. "And to be honest, it’s not always easy being politically homeless."

He continued: "In fact, sometimes it sucks. But then along comes Chris Sununu, a Republican who did sell his soul to Trump, and I hear how damn pathetic he sounds, and I instantly no longer feel so bad."

Others joined in, as well.

Sara Spector, a political and legal pundit, said, "Dear Chris Sununu: You say that Trump needs to stick to the issues rather than racist personal attacks on Kamala Harris. When in reality the real appeal of MAGA is white male Christian supremacy. Your base actually feeds on racism. Just read Project 2025."

Watch below or click the link.

Trump VP hopeful's Biden 'dictatorship' remark met with skepticism even from his own party

Former President Donald Trump has faced a steady stream of claims that he would take America toward a dictatorship. But according to Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), we're already in one — President Joe Biden's dictatorship.

"Under Joe Biden, we're actually living under a dictatorship today, where he's, you know, bypassing Congress on immigration policy, he's bypassing Congress on protecting our border, he's bypassing Congress on student loan forgiveness and he's defying the Supreme Court, I mean, those are things that authoritarians and dictators do, they don't follow democratic processes and they just assert their liberal view, and that's what the Biden administration is doing," Burgum said Wednesday on Fox News.

Contrary to Burgum's claim, Biden is not "defying the Supreme Court" on student loans, rather forgiving loans under existing programs passed by Congress, as the Supreme Court said he would have to do when it struck down his initial forgiveness plan that relied on the HEROES Act.

Similarly, Biden's immigration plan announced this week only applies to removing regulatory barriers for some 500,000 undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens, whom federal law passed by Congress already says are eligible for green cards.

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Burgum is one of several Republican politicians currently on the shortlist for consideration as Trump's vice presidential running mate for 2024.

The dictator comment in question was met with skepticism even from some within the Republican party.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu for a response to the comment, with the governor replying that while he's a huge fan of the "wonderful governor," he "wouldn't use the word dictatorship."

"I think there's obviously some hyperbole in there," said Sununu, adding: "I think it's just really, really, really bad policy. Really bad policy and that, ultimately, the judge of that is ... are we better off now than we were four years ago? Most people will tell you that they're not getting better off, mostly because of their financial situation."

All of this comes as Trump has faced intense scrutiny from experts about the authoritarian agenda he and his supporters have planned if he wins a second term, ranging from mass deportations to the potential adoption of a Heritage Foundation plan known as "Project 2025" that would replace the entire federal civil service with a partisan army loyal to Trump.

Trump, for his part, has even said outright that he would be a "dictator on day one" to crack down on the border and change U.S. energy policy, but has claimed that he would stop being a dictator after that.

Watch Burgum's video below or at the link here.

'What a disgrace': Political experts slam former Trump critic who now endorses him

Donald Trump recently got an endorsement from a GOP governor who was prior to that steadfastly opposed to the former president's new bid for high office, and the internet is mocking the New Hampshire official.

New Hampshire Gov. Sununu (R), a former surrogate for Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, appeared on ABC News, where he was interviewed by host George Stephanopoulos. The result was Sununu admitting that he would now support Trump even if he were convicted of a felony.

The highlight was when Stephanopoulos said, “Just to sum up, you would support him for president even if he is convicted in classified documents. You would support him for president even though you believe he contributed to an insurrection. You would support him for president even though you believe he’s lying about the last election. You would support him for president even if he’s convicted in the Manhattan case. I just want to say, the answer to that is yes, correct?”

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Sununu replied, “Yeah, me and 51 percent of America," according to a Politico transcript.

But people online weren't understanding of the governor's position, including current and former Republicans.

Former RNC chairman Michael Steele said, "Wow [Sununu]."

"Then what the hell did you endorse and support [Haley] for?" Steele asked. "Her 5-inch heels?"

"And no, 51% of Americans do not support insurrection or want a convicted felon for president," he said. "But you do. Just say that. Saying b------- with a smile doesn't make it less b-------."

Stuart Stevens, Chief Strategist of Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, also chimed in.

"I will never understand the willingness of Republicans to humiliate themselves by defending the indefensible. [Sununu] has no future in the Republican party. He knows it," Stevens said. "He's comfortable financially. But he has such a need for approval from his tribe that he will humiliate himself on national television. There is something sad and pathetic about an entire party broken by a guy from Queens who is out on bail. But all it proves is that they never believed anything they said. It was all a lie."

David Corn, D.C. bureau chief of Mother Jones and MSNBC analyst, also had something to say about the flip flop.

"Sununu was lying. Trump does not now have majority support. And he never has," Corn said. "So not only is he selling his soul for no recompense; he’s spreading disinformation. Thus, he’s a true representative of today’s GOP."

"Chris Sununu is a pathetic excuse for an American. He would sell out his country and the Constitution. What a disgrace," added Norm Ornstein, emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Sunday.

'This guy cannot win!' Republican governor says Trump will 'crush' the GOP if allowed to continue

Former President Donald Trump's mounting indictments and legal problems are going to drag down the entire Republican Party if they can't unite behind a candidate to replace him, warned Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) on CNN Tuesday evening.

"[ Trump] doesn't have to want to talk about issues," said Sununu, a frequent critic of the former president. "He doesn't want to have to talk about going forward in healing America, and all these things that the rest of America wants to see. He wants to re-litigate the past, and we're kind of letting him do that. Which is unfortunate."

"If you look at the sheer number of people charged in the Georgia case, you're talking about 18 Trump allies, including Trump himself," said anchor Abby Phillip. "They're accused of racketeering, at least one, and at least one related crime. There's a lot of conduct alleged here, including trying to tamper with voting machines, and actual voting information. What is your take on the actual information contained in this document?"

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?

"So, a couple things," said Sununu. "I'm not a lawyer. I will say, this is incredibly similar to the federal indictment that Jack Smith is doing out of DOJ. Other than, as you brought up, now 18 people involved. That's a much bigger swath of individuals. Something that I think Republicans need to take note of, this is a grand jury in a very conservative state. That said, this guy needs to be indicted. This isn't just the Department of Justice and the idea that it's all politicized. This is a grand jury in Georgia of all states."

All of this, said Sununu, underscores the fact that "this guy can't win in November."

"You might give him the nomination — I hope we don't — but this guy cannot win a state like New Hampshire, or Arizona, where these two states they absolutely have to have," said Sununu. "Last time I checked, you can't govern if you don't win. It's just gonna be another sob story for Donald Trump. And he's gonna crush the Republican ticket going down. I still am very hopeful the Republicans as a whole make a smart choice and find that one or two candidates to go against him by the time Iowa and New Hampshire hit."

Watch the video below or at the link.

Chris Sununu says Trump will "crush" the Republican Party www.youtube.com

GOP 2024 presidential hopefuls pine for endorsement from a very surprising source

Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire remains a hot commodity for an endorsement in the crowded GOP presidential field – despite his outspoken opposition of Donald Trump, Fox News reported today.

Sununu, who announced June 5 that he won’t enter the GOP race, has been sought out by the dozen candidates challenging Trump as they campaign in the key state of New Hampshire, the report said. It highlighted a moment this week when Sununu introduced his former gubernatorial colleague, current GOP candidate Nikki Haley, at a fundraiser.

“After exchanging a hug, Haley kicked off her comments to the crowd by saying, ‘You’ve got a great governor,’” the report said. “With a joke that elicited plenty of laughter, she said, "Governor, I very much worry about your health. What I’m thinking is, I don’t want you to over-stress. I don’t want you to get out there and do too much. So, I think what’s best is, go ahead and endorse me now."

Haley is one of six former or current GOP governors who worked alongside of Sununu, it noted, adding, “They and the six other Republican presidential candidates who are also challenging Trump for the GOP nomination have been calling Sununu, or meeting with him when they’re campaigning in New Hampshire, asking for his advice and suggestions, and maybe even for his support down the road.”

The reporting also said:

“Besides Haley, in recent weeks former Vice President Mike Pence, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, ex-CIA spy and former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas and environmental lawyer and high-profile vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who’s primary-challenging President Biden for the Democratic nomination — have all met with Sununu. And three other candidates — Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and former Governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas — huddled in-person with Sununu earlier this year.”

Sununu has said he’s open to making an endorsement in the race, unlike fellow Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is also popular in a key early primary state.

As Raw Story reported June 11 , Sununu has openly slammed Trump for the Mar-a-Lago documents scandal. Sununu called that scandal “severe” and “very self-inflicted.”

“Referring to Trump 2024 rival candidates, Sununu said, 'They have to come out and acknowledge this is different, this is serious,' adding, 'I just see too many of the candidates trying to walk around it — 'We'll see what happens.' … You're running against this guy. He's whopping you by 40 points. Everybody needs to come out in concert.'"

"So, it's not just Chris Christie hitting Donald Trump. … It is a party message. That is very, very important because Donald Trump doesn't represent the Republican Party. He only represents himself."