Former President Trump is no stranger to being betrayed. As soon as the going gets tough, allies show their true colors.
And Trump just got double-crossed big time by this former ally.
Back in 2016 and 2020, Donald Trump commanded a ton of respect from conservative Republican circles in his bids against his Democratic opponents, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.
2024 is a different beat, however. Now, some Republicans are bringing into question whether Donald Trump should be the default option for the Party to get behind to take back the White House and power in Washington, D.C. in general.
Whether or not those questions are warranted is another matter entirely. But from Donald Trump’s perspective, plenty of Republicans who were behind him in 2016 and 2020 are now jumping ship, which is understandably frustrating.
One of the highest profile Republicans in the country right now just committed the latest backstabbing of Donald Trump that is sure to make the former President furious.
Governor Chris Sununu (R-NH), back in 2016 when Trump secured the Republican nomination, supported Trump in his historic bid against Hillary Clinton. Sununu wasn’t even Governor yet, and he still endorsed Donald Trump.
In 2020, Sununu supported Donald Trump in his reelection efforts against his opponent Joe Biden.
In particular, Sununu highlighted Trump’s success with the economy (before the COVID-19 pandemic panic threw that into chaos).
“We have the most booming economy in the Northeast right now,” Sununu said back in 2020. “And that’s not by accident because the policies get results. And as governor, that’s all I care about: getting results.”
Today, however, Sununu is no longer behind Donald Trump. Not only that, but he is making it his personal vendetta to make sure Donald Trump does not win the Republican nomination.
He said, in no uncertain terms, that he will only be endorsing the “best alternative” to Donald Trump.
“As governor of the first-in-the-nation primary state, I will do everything I can to help narrow the field. I plan to endorse and campaign for the best alternative to Mr. Trump. As of now, it’s anyone’s for the taking,” Sununu wrote in an op-ed published by the New York Times.
He also called for the alternatives to Trump to recognize when one of the other candidates is “catching fire” and then be willing to step aside.
“To win, they must break free of Mr. Trump’s drama, step out of his shadow, go on offense, attack, and present their case. Then they need to see if they can catch fire this fall — and if they can’t, they need to step aside, because winnowing down the field of candidates is the single best chance to stop Mr. Trump. Too much is at stake for us to have wishful candidacies,” Sununu added.
Sununu continued his tirade, saying that Republicans running for office everywhere will be hurting if Donald Trump is “at the top of the ticket.”
“Every candidate with an (R) next to their name, from school board to the statehouse, will be left to answer for the electoral albatross at the top of the ticket,” Sununu continued.
As Sununu points out, he’s the Governor a state that is expected to have an early position within the Republican primary schedule, though the date is not set just yet.
It’s certainly interesting that Sununu has soured on Donald Trump as much has he has, considering he was with Trump through and through in 2016 and 2020.
But his endorsement of a Republican alternative is certain to loom large in the early running of the Republican primary race when starting off strong is so important.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
