As Donald Trump begins the first of his felony trials, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu showed us what it means to remain a "viable" Republican this year. In a painful and humiliating interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, Sununu was repeatedly forced to describe exactly what he was willing to overlook with his endorsement of Trump.
It was particularly noteworthy because Sununu, a popular four-term governor, has been a sharp critic of the former president, variously calling him "crazy" and an "a------" who was neither a "real Republican" nor a genuine conservative. Days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, he declared that "Trump's rhetoric and actions contributed to the insurrection." In the primary, Sununu endorsed and campaigned for Nikki Haley but had said that, eventually, he would endorse the GOP nominee, which presumably meant he would be OK if it were Trump after all.
On Sunday, we saw what that Faustian bargain means. Trump has demanded that Republicans commit to ever more absurd positions and defend ever more egregious conduct. By degrees, Trump has demanded that Republicans commit to ever more absurd positions and defend ever more egregious conduct. Not just Trump's "locker room talk" of grabbing women but the actual finding by a federal judge that he was liable for sexually abusing and then defaming E. Jean Carroll. Not just his unhinged lying but also the alleged stolen documents, the threats against judges, the hush money for porn stars, a purported massive financial fraud, and, of course, his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Which brings us to Sununu's self-debasing interview. During the interview with Stephanopoulos, the governor admitted again that Trump had "absolutely contributed" to the attempted violent overthrow of the government. But he said he would support him anyway, repeatedly citing polls that showed support for Trump. The host pressed him again, and Sununu made clear that he was putting party over country.
Asked about his concerns over the attack on the Capitol, Sununu said he could still support Trump because he's doing well in the polls, citing a bogus statistic, then noted that he was a Republican. "For me, it's not about him as much as it is having a Republican administration — Republican secretaries, Republican rules..." Sununu then brushed off Trump's other felony charges as "reality television" and "politics." Stephanopoulos asked if he would still support Trump if he's convicted in the classified documents and hush money trials. "Yeah," Sununu said, again citing bogus poll numbers. "Me and 51% of America."
By any measure, it was an embarrassing episode for Sununu. But here's the point: It's not just Sununu. This is what's in store for the entire Republican Party. In 2024, any Republican who backs Trump will be in the same position as Sununu. Every Republican at every level — up and down the ballot — will have to defend what Peter Wehner calls Trump's "kaleidoscopic corruption." All of it. Again and again. On Sunday, Sununu merely held up a mirror for an entire party to see what it has become.
