🔴 Gov. Chris Sununu said some Republicans told him Donald Trump's speech was 'mundane'

🔴 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will win the 2024 presidential primary, Sununu predicts

🔴 The governor is considering a run of his own, but has no timetable to decide


 

Gov. Chris Sununu said some New Hampshire Republicans at the party's general meeting Saturday were "disappointed" with former President Donald Trump's speech.

The former president addressed the meeting at Salem High School in an hour long, low-key speech Saturday afternoon. Trump expressed support for the New Hampshire primary remaining first, and touched on a variety of topics including the Russian war on Ukraine, which he said he could solve in 24 hours.

If re-elected to the White House, Trump said he would support measures giving parents more control of the selection of principals and superintendents.

Sununu left Friday for the Alfalfa Club's annual dinner on Saturday, and did not attend the GOP meeting.

“Frankly he gave a very mundane speech. The response we've received was 'he read the teleprompter, he stuck to the talking points, he went away,'" Sununu told Dana Bash on CNN'S State of the Union. "He's not really bringing that fire, that energy I think that a lot of folks saw in '16. I think in many ways it was a little disappointing to some folks."

Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with newly elected NH GOP Chairman Chris Ager at the New Hampshire Republican State Committee's Annual Meeting 1/28/23
Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with newly elected NH GOP Chairman Chris Ager at the New Hampshire Republican State Committee's Annual Meeting 1/28/23 (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
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White House Run Still Being Considered

The governor said he is considering a White House run of his own in 2024, but does not have a timeline to decide. He was surprised to be included in a Granite State Poll by the UNH Survey Center showing  DeSantis ahead of Trump 42%-30%.  Sununu was the choice of just 4% of those polled.

Sununu believes that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has "hundreds of millions of dollars" for a 2024 run, will win the New Hampshire primary. Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and Mike Pompeo will also announce their own candidacies in the spring and summer, Sununu predicted.

At the same time, Sununu is concerned about the primary field getting too crowded, calling himself the "referee" of the primary.

"I will have some opportunity there to pull some levers and really make sure that we're holding the candidates accountable. Make a good run at it, but if it ain't happening, you got to pull out and leave it down to the two, three, or four candidates," Sununu said.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH

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