New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) suggested in an interview Friday that age is no longer an issue in the 2024 election with President Biden announcing he is dropping out of the race.
“The age issue is over,” Sununu said. said Elizabeth Vargas of NewsNation. “Biden lost the question.”
“The issues in this campaign are definitely going to come down to inflation, the border and the fact that people can’t make their credit card payments,” he added.
His comments came after Biden, 81, was called upon by many Democrats to resign last month after a poor debate performance, leading him to abandon his reelection bid in favor of Vice President Harris. Biden’s voice sounded hoarse, he lacked energy and he appeared to lose his train of thought at the podium, raising concerns not only about whether he could beat former President Trump if he was re-elected in November, but also whether he could serve another four years in office.
Questions have swirled about whether Trump, 78, is too old to serve another four years in office, especially since Harris, 59, emerged as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination.
Harris has been on an upward trajectory since joining the race just a month ago, boasting endorsements from key figures and record fundraising, but her rise in the polls has appeared to irritate Trump as he has all but lost his lead over Biden.
Trump tried to draw attention to himself again in a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursday. During the press conference, Trump criticized Harris for rarely giving interviews to the media and attempted to portray her and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), as “extremists.”
Republicans and even some Democrats have suggested that the enthusiasm surrounding the Democratic presidential nominee is merely a “honeymoon phase” that will probably die down. The governor of New Hampshire agreed, arguing that the enthusiasm will die down by Labor Day.
Sununu, who supported former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in the presidential race before dropping out and endorsing Trump, said if Harris loses momentum, attention will shift to her policies, which he called “not good.”
“If she doesn’t have a four or five point lead in all the battleground states by the end of August, she’s in trouble, because then it becomes an issue again,” he said in an interview Friday.
He also highlighted comments made by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) that Democrats have policy problems, adding that Democrats cannot win on an “anti-Trump” platform alone.
“‘At least we’re not Trump, so vote for us’ is not really a reason to choose the leader of our country,” Sununu added.
Governor Granite also recently pressured his Republican colleagues in an op-ed to cut down on the “badmouthing,” saying the attacks are disruptive and will do little to shore up support for the GOP in the November election.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.
