- New Hampshire Gov. Sununu dodged a question about backing Trump if he ran for president again.
- During an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Sununu said he's "not even looking at '24."
- He added that he is more focused on issues happening in his state including tackling COVID-19.
New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu dodged answering if he would back a 2024 run by former president Donald Trump.
During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, Jake Tapper asked if he would support Trump — who was defeated by President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election— if he decided to run for office again.
"Not even looking at '24," Sununu responded. "Look, I'm a big believer; if you spent all your time looking at what happened in 2020 and all your time thinking about 2024, as a Republican Party, we're going to miss 2022. And that's where you got to hopefully inspire new folks to step up, to want to run every for everything from governor to the town planning board."
—The Recount (@therecount) December 19, 2021
"You want folks that believe in that local control, that believe in contributing, as opposed to the polarization you see in politics, so not even considering '24," Sununu continued. " I think, if we do that, whether you're Democrat or Republican, you're really missing the boat."
Trump has teased a potential 2024 presidential campaign, but it has yet to be confirmed. During a recent interview with Fox News in November, Trump said he is considering a run and may wait until after the 2022 midterm election to announce his decision.
"I am certainly thinking about it, and we'll see," Trump said. "I think a lot of people will be very happy, frankly, with the decision and probably will announce that after the midterms."
Sununu indicated that he's concentrating on managing the issues in his state, including COVID-19, which is causing hospitals to become overwhelmed, leading officials to tap on National Guard members for assistance.
"I have hospitals that are really at capacity. We're managing this kind of stuff every single day," Sununu added. "I don't want to say I don't care about '24, but the furthest thing down on the priority list, as you can imagine."