Whether it is health complications or competitive politics, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu predicts President Joe Biden won’t be the Democrats’ nominee in November 2024. And if he is, “a vote for Joe Biden is really allowing Kamala Harris to be president,” Sununu added.
“Because God bless the old guy, there’s a fear he’s not going to be there for the full next five years.”
Sununu, 48, made the remarks on Hugh Hewitt’s national radio show on the socially-conservative Salem Radio Network, carried on WFEA radio in Manchester and WKBK in Keene. All of the GOP 2024 announced and likely candidates have appeared on Hewitt’s show.
Hewitt has long said he doesn’t believe Biden will be the Democratic Party’s standard bearer in the general election, despite the incumbent president’s announcement video released Tuesday. Sununu agreed.
“There’s a 25 percent chance it’s a health reason, and he bows out,” Sununu said. “There’s a 25 percent chance Gavin [Newsom] just says, ‘The heck with you, I’m coming to New Hampshire,’ because Biden’s not going to be here.”
And, Sununu noted, “75 percent of America doesn’t want Biden to run again. Most Democrats don’t want Biden to run again. So the door is just too big and too wide open,” Sununu said.
(A recent AP/NORC poll found 73 percent of Americans are against another Biden White House bid.)
On the issue of Biden’s age, Sununu was blunt. “He ain’t getting younger, and it ain’t getting better.”
Sununu argued Democrats know Biden is struggling with his presidential duties, which is why they “rigged” the Democratic primary calendar to put South Carolina first and protect himself from having to compete in New Hampshire.
After reiterating that despite media reports questioning the calendar, New Hampshire will hold the first primary for both parties next year, Sununu predicted South Carolina won’t even hold a Democratic primary.
“Republicans in South Carolina in 2020 said, ‘Okay, Trump’s the winner.’ And they’re going to do the exact same thing with Joe Biden. They’re just going to try to deem him the winner so he doesn’t have to get around and campaign.”
It’s the same reason, he said, the national Democratic Party is saying there will be no primary debates, despite two other candidates — Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Marianne Williamson — already in the race.
Kennedy responded by saying Americans already distrust the political system, and this decision will feed that distrust.
“Americans think the entire system is rigged against them. And if the DNC goes through with this—its plan to not have debate—I think that will serve as … an unfortunate confirmation to a lot of Americans that the system is indeed rigged,” RFK, Jr. told The Epoch Times.
Sununu also unloaded on GOP frontrunner Trump during another radio interview later that morning.
Sununu again called out Democrats for “doing everything they can not to have Joe Biden answer questions… and not to have him be on the campaign trail, so they can just kind of keep him propped up, keep him puppeted up and doing what the Young Turk socialists I think are really running the show want him to do.”
Then Sununu accused Trump, who is threatening not to participate in any GOP primary debates, of doing the same thing.
“I think the word is ‘wimping out.’ Donald Trump says he’s a fighter, but he’s not going to enter the ring? Give me a break,” Sununu said.
“That’s being a coward,” Sununu added. “Man up. Put your big boy pants on, get on the stage with all the candidates, and let’s have it out! Let’s see where you really stand.”
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung dismissed Sununu’s criticism.
“President Trump is crushing Sununu in his home state by more than 36 points and looks forward to his trip to Manchester tomorrow where he will be greeted by thousands of MAGA patriots and supporters,” Cheung said.
Polls have consistently shown Trump, with the support of 40 percent or so of Granite State Republican primary voters, well ahead of both Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sununu.
Trump is scheduled to give what his campaign is touting as a policy-focused speech in Manchester on Thursday.
