New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a moderate Republican, said Sunday he doesn't think President-elect Trump has permanently changed the Republican Party.
“We've always been a special part of the party. We've had moderates, we've had fiscal conservatives, we've had social moderates, we've had social conservatives. It's a huge spectrum, it's a big tent, and it's going to be and will continue to do so,” Sununu told CNN's “State of the Union” in an interview two weeks before he left office.
Sununu said he doesn't imagine anyone will replace Trump as Republican leader after Trump's term ends.
“Trump is Trump. There is no such thing as 'Trump-lite.' There will be no 'Trump 2.0,''' Sununu said. “I always say Mr. Trump is who he is today because he's been building himself in the American psyche for 40 years. So really since the '80s.”
Asked if he thought Trump had changed the party forever, Sununu said, “No, I don't.” Oh, definitely not. ”
He suggested that he thought the party's basic ideology had not changed much.
“Frankly, I think there's already a lot of hardcore normal conservatism out there. Traditional conservatism is already there,” Sununu said of the party's “normal conservatism.” When asked if he thought he would “get back on his feet,''
“He's bringing a different style, and certainly I have a lot of problems with that at times, but basically, in principle, they're still there. The bigger DNA problem is with the Democratic Party.” Sununu said.
Sununu supported former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley's candidacy in the 2024 presidential primary, after she suspended her campaign and endorsed Trump.
Asked about criticisms he had of Trump during the 2024 primaries, Sununu said Trump “wasn't my first choice, nor was he my second, third or fourth choice in the primaries. “No, but clearly he won the primary.”
“I'm not taking back anything I've ever said. I think there were a lot of other great candidates in terms of moving the party forward. He won the primary, won the nomination, and won the He got the people's votes easily. He has to get over it, right? It's important to get it done.”
