(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump’s criminal prosecution in Manhattan is politically motivated and will distract from real issues facing the country, New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday.
“This is just going to create another divide for us, it’s unnecessary,” Sununu said during “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”
Trump appeared on Tuesday in a Manhattan courtroom, where he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Sununu, a moderate Republican, has urged his party to move on from the former president but called the arraignment a “circus” and said it would not have happened if Trump wasn’t running in 2024.
“It’s like we’re watching the first episode of a new daytime soap opera,” the New Hampshire governor said. “Unfortunately it’s going to dominate the headlines for all of us for quite some time.”
In January, Sununu was sworn in for a fourth term as governor, and he currently holds a 61% approval rating. That popularity has led to widespread speculation that he could soon launch his own presidential bid — a decision Sununu suggested he would make over the summer.
The New Hampshire governor said he will “absolutely jump in” to the race if he thinks it will help the country.
Sununu said it’s important for Republicans to avoid a repeat of the 2022 midterm elections where the party underperformed relative to expectations.
“We got behind extreme candidates based solely on ideology without really appreciating, you can’t govern if you don’t win,” he said. “Let’s put winners on the ballot for November.”
A recent survey of GOP primary voters in New Hampshire showed Trump (42%) leading over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (29%), with Sununu (14%) in third place.
Over the weekend, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced his presidential bid, joining former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy as declared candidates in the race to become the Republican presidential nominee.
DeSantis is widely expected to join the race soon. It remains to be seen whether Sununu will do the same.