Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu’s criticism of Donald Trump, which he said was a joke, has drawn anger from the former president’s supporters.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu's remarks about Donald Trump this weekend upset some of the former president's supporters in his own party.
Speaking at the Gridiron Club's spring dinner Saturday, Sununu referred to Trump as "f****** crazy."
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"I don't think he's so crazy that you could put him in a mental institution," the governor said. "But I think if he were in one, he ain't getting out."
Sununu has made light of the roasting, saying he was just making jokes.
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"Everyone takes it in the right spirit, in the right tone," he said. "Even the former president has been there."
But Al Baldasaro, Trump's 2020 New Hampshire campaign co-chair, was not amused. In fact, he said he was "disgusted."
"That was no joke. I thought the governor was the real joke," Baldassaro said. "Sununu is not a big fan of Trump. He never was. We all know that."
Trump supporters may be angry, but NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd doesn't think Sununu will suffer any consequences.
"There's a whole bunch of elected Republicans that want [Trump] to go away," Todd said. "I think Chris Sununu was giving voice to that."
Todd thinks that Trump is showing signs of weakness — and that if Republicans are looking for an alternative in 2024, Sununu could fit the bill.
"If you were to ask me who could be both electable, but appeal to sort of the old-school conservative wing of the party, Chris Sununu has a persona that could do that," he said.
More political news
Todd has been following other political news in the Granite State, including the news that Republican Matt Mowers, running for his party's nomination for the seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, voted twice during the 2016 primary elections. The potential violation of federal voting law creates an awkward situation for Republicans calling for election integrity after backing Trump's lies about a stolen 2020 election.
"You know, if you're pushing the whole 'election integrity' spiel and you, yourself, participate in it, I think that's where voters get real cynical," Todd said.
As for Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, facing a few Republican challengers, Todd says she is vulnerable in this political climate.
