Trump is widely believed to be planning another presidential run, with an announcement rumored as soon as Tuesday. Given the historic underperformance of the GOP in last week’s midterm elections, and particularly the candidates endorsed by the former president, doubts about Trump’s future have begun to grow and many in the party are calling for him to move on.
On Sunday, Chris Sununu, the Republican governor of New Hampshire, appeared on ABC’s This Week to discuss the midterm election results. His state notably saw Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan win reelection against a Trump-backed challenger in a race that the GOP viewed as one of its best bets for flipping a Senate seat.
On the subject of Trump’s immediate political future, Sununu said that a 2024 announcement would be a “terrible idea” and urged him to consider delaying the announcement to early next year.
“From a purely political standpoint, we still don’t know what’s gonna happen in Georgia,” Sununu said. “People want to move away from politics as you hit Thanksgiving, as you hit Christmas, as we’re spending time with families, as we’re thinking about how we’re gonna fill our oil tanks with all these high fuel prices. So now is just a horrible time for big political statements. Save that for early ‘23 would be my message.”
The Georgia Senate race between incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock and Trump-endorsed former football player Herschel Walker is set to go to a December 6 runoff election, as neither candidate received at least 50 percent of the vote, as is required by state law. Many in both parties suspect that Trump’s influence and presence on the GOP stage could push the results toward the Democrats, allowing the party to grow its Senate majority by one seat.
Many leaders in the GOP have also attempted to anoint Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the new face of the Republican Party, as his state was one of the few where the party won consistent and considerable victories. This has led to the perception that DeSantis might eclipse Trump as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nominee in 2024.
Sununu, for his part, indicated that he would not support a Trump candidacy in the next election cycle, noting the potential for exciting new prospects on both sides, as he also does not believe President Joe Biden will be running again.
“Not really because I think there’s going to be a lot of great candidates out there,” Sununu said. “I’m excited to see who runs for president on both sides.”
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s office for comment.
