Sununu: No, no.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You’re an elected official. I’m asking if they are influenced by that.
Sununu: Yes. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that a Republican governor supports a Republican president.
Do you know what the real story is? The average American who went from Biden back to Trump, the average American who feels the problems with inflation and all these other things, is saying, “Look, let’s do all this” — whether there’s a conviction or not. Regardless, we want a change in the culture of Washington, DC. And we will continue to support the former, former President Trump.
That’s the real story, right? Trump is leading in various polls across the United States.
So no one should be surprised by my support. I think the real argument is that America is moving away from Biden. That’s how bad Biden has become as president. There’s no doubt about that, right?
Inflation cannot be ignored. You can’t ignore the border and say these issues in the courts are going to be the only thing that brings Biden back to office. That won’t happen.
STEPHANOPOULOS: As you mentioned, this is one of the few charges facing a former president. Perhaps the most significant one, of course, is the one related to January 6th.
Immediately after the Jan. 6 attack, and I want to put this on the screen, you said: It’s clear that President Trump’s words and actions contributed to the insurrection. The domestic terrorists who stormed the United States Capitol must be held accountable and prosecuted.
Do you support that statement?
Sununu: Of course, 100 percent. They had to be prosecuted and are still being prosecuted. that’s good.
I think his actions definitely contributed to that. There’s no question about that. I hate his 2020 election denialism. No one will want to talk about it in 2024.
I think that was really bad, but what do people vote for and why do I support not only the president but the Republican administration? It is this.
They want a culture of change in Washington, all the rules and policies that oppress the American people. You’re fully awake, aren’t you? The fact that the people of Washington, the liberal elites of Washington, want to stand on the shoulders of the hardworking American families who built this country and defended this country and teach them how to live their lives.
they are angry they are upset. That’s the cultural change people want.
People will be upset by January 6th. They are upset about the rejection of the election. They have a right to do so, and so do I, but at the end of the day, it takes a cultural change to get America back on track.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So — but wait a second. Your words on January 11, 2021 were very clear. You said President Trump’s rhetoric and his actions contributed to the insurrection.
No other president in American history —
Sununu: Yes.
STEPHANOPOULOS: — Contributed to the rebellion.
So please explain to me how you think he should be returned to the Oval Office, given the fact that you believe he contributed to the insurrection.
Sununu: That’s not true. Because to me, there’s nothing more important about him than having a Republican government. The Republican secretary, the Republican rule, the sense that states’ rights come first, individual rights come first, parents’ rights come first.
We are going to have a pro-business economy. The cancel culture that permeates all of America will disappear.
For me, it’s not about Trump. It’s either free more people or die.
(crosstalk)
STEPHANOPOULOS: But he’ll be president. What you’re saying is—
Sununu: I am the governor of a state that lives or dies and I will restore its spirit.
STEPHANOPOULOS: That doesn’t make sense, Governor. sorry. You’re saying it’s not about Trump. You said he would be president, and you said he was Insu, the one who contributed to the rebellion.
Sununu: George, I know it doesn’t make any sense, but look at the polls. What you’re trying to tell me is that you don’t understand why 51 percent of this country supports Donald Trump.
they aren’t crazy. They are not MAGA conservatives. They are not extremists. They want a change in culture. So, thank you—
(crosstalk)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Governor, I’m not talking — I’m not talking —
Sununu: The bigger issue is —
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m not talking about polls. I’m asking a very simple question. You believe Donald Trump contributed to the insurrection. That’s correct, right?
Sununu: I stand by that statement.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You stand by the statement that he contributed to the rebellion.
Sununu: You know, his words — his — his words —
(crosstalk)
STEPHANOPOULOS: So, do you believe that any president who contributed to the insurrection should be president again?
Sununu: So do 51 percent of America, George. I mean, really.
I understand that you are part of the media. I understand you’re in a New York City bubble or something, but you have to look around at what’s going on across this country. They are not. It’s not just about supporting Trump. It’s about getting rid of what we have today.
It’s about understanding that inflation is crushing families. We understand that this border issue is not about Texas. This is a 50 state problem and must be brought under control.
It’s about the kind of elitism that average Americans are tired of. And it’s a cultural change. That’s what I support. That’s what most Americans are trying to support right now, and that’s what they want to change.
So, again, I understand that you’re shocked that a Republican governor is supporting a Republican president and a Republican ticket, but that’s about the ticket. It’s about the top and bottom of the ballot, right? I want a Republican governor, senators, representatives and a culture like that. I keep coming back to it because that’s just the way it is. That’s the change America needs. And they’re not re-litigating on January 6th. It’s not the most important issue.
If you ask the average American if they’re going to the ballot box on January 6th when it’s a top issue, it wouldn’t even be in the top five. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t, it didn’t mean it wasn’t an important issue, it didn’t mean we weren’t extremely disappointed in what he said and did, but we’re taking advantage of this election denialism. That doesn’t mean that. I think what he did in terms of denying the election was very, very terrible.
But again, that’s not the most important issue. People are voting on what’s happening in their homes, what’s happening with inflation, what’s happening at the border, right? It’s true and they vote for it, so—
STEPHANOPOULOS: So you’re against the election denialism that the president, the former president, repeated last night. You believe he contributed to the January 6th riot. You believe it doesn’t matter whether he was convicted in the Manhattan case or not.
He also faces separate charges related to classified documents. You have previously said these charges are serious and that if Trump is convicted, he should withdraw from the campaign. Do you still believe it?
Sununu: Well, in the primaries — you know, we fought hard in the primaries. We arrived behind Nikki. This is the mess that Nikki Haley and I and others warned would follow Trump. That it’s just a complete distraction. I’d rather have Republicans on the campaign trail talk about real issues than to have them talk about things like this. It’s a total distraction.
That doesn’t mean he’ll lose, and it doesn’t mean people won’t support the Republican ticket. Because that seems to be the case at the moment. But it’s a distraction we all try to avoid.
(crosstalk)
STEPHANOPOULOS: But I have a different question. I have another question. The reason I’m asking a different question is because you previously said that if you are found guilty in the classified documents case, you should be expelled from school. Do you still believe it?
Sununu: No, no, does he drop out after becoming a candidate? of course not. You know, you can’t expect that at all. By the way, all these cases are confused for the average American, right? we saw this. We will monitor the details. The average American watches this as a reality show. I’m not saying it isn’t. There are no real problems to endure there, of course there are problems. But there is no denying that politics is clearly at play in some of these cases.
The average American simply thinks that reality TV and their own prosecution are more important at this point. He plays that victim card very well. His poll numbers will only go up because of this. So, considering this is kind of a deal-breaker, we’re going to go back to the starting point, where people would say, “Yeah, if he’s found guilty, I’ll walk away.” That won’t happen. At the end of the day, they want a change in the culture of the Republican Party, and if we have Trump as the standard bearer, and the voters say that’s what they want, and that’s not what I want. He decided that what the voters want – what the Republican voters want is for him to be the standard bearer and for us to take it on as needed. . That’s why America wants to change its culture.
STEPHANOPOULOS: In short, you would support him as a presidential candidate even if he was convicted on classified documents. You would support him as a presidential candidate even if you believed he contributed to the insurrection. You would support him as a presidential candidate even if you believed he lied about the last election. You would support him as a presidential candidate even if he was convicted in the Manhattan scandal. I just want to say, the answer is yes, right?
Sununu: Yes, me and 51 percent of the American people.
