New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu says Trump is 'wimping out' by suggesting that he may skip GOP presidential primary debates
Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME
- New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu suggested Trump was "wimping out" by possibly skipping debates.
- The former president suggested that he may not attend some or all of the GOP presidential debates.
- Trump famously skipped the final debate before the 2016 Iowa caucuses.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu blasted Donald Trump on Wednesday after the former president strongly suggested that he may skip GOP presidential primary debates.
"I mean, we're having debates, but Trump says he ain't showing up," Sununu told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. "I don't know what that's all about ... He's kind of wimping out. He says he's a fighter, but now he doesn't want to actually be, you know, have discussions and debate."
Sununu added that he's "hoping" to be on the debate stage. Hewitt then asked if that meant the Republican governor was running before Sununu teased an announcement "this summer." Sununu also said that if decides not to run for president that he would endorse someone else. As the leader of an early primary state, Sununu is being closely watched.
Trump, who famously skipped a GOP debate right before the 2016 Iowa caucuses, suggested on Tuesday that he may also not appear at the forthcoming debates. It should be noted Trump later lost Iowa to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. As the current frontrunner by a large margin, the former president's suggestion was widely noticed.
"I see that everybody is talking about the Republican Debates, but nobody got my approval, or the approval of the Trump Campaign, before announcing them," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth.
It's not just primary debates either. Trump pulled out of the second 2020 presidential debate after the commission in charge of scheduling them moved for it to be held virtually following Trump testing positive for COVID-19. The then-president did participate in the final debate, but since then the Republican National Committee left the bipartisan commission that has scheduled the general election debates for decades.
The former president singled out the second debate that is scheduled to be hosted at the Reagan Presidential Library in Semi Valley, California. He said that was "amazing" that Washington Post Publisher Fred Ryan serves as chairman of the library. It is true that Ryan leads the Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, which operates the museum that will host the debate. The library itself, like its presidential counterparts, is operated by the National Records and Archives Administration, a federal agency Trump is very aware of.
Trump has repeatedly clashed with The Washington Post, including its owner former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Ryan served in the Reagan administration and was later one of the 40th president's chiefs of staff after he left the White House.
A spokesperson for Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.