Sununu, Christie say Trump can’t beat Biden in 2024

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, two prominent moderate figures in the Republican Party, both predicted on Sunday that former President Trump could not beat President Biden if they were in a rematch for the White House in 2024.

Both men are facing skepticism from their own parties, with Democrats calling Biden too old to run for reelection and Republicans expressing desire to see another candidate be their GOP nominee.

An ABC-Washington Post poll conducted over the last week showed that there was little enthusiasm for a rematch between Trump and Biden, with many voters in both parties hoping for a different choice. Trump is expected to face opposition from a number of other candidates in the GOP, but Biden has yet to garner any formal opposition from another Democratic candidate.

When asked on ABC’s “This Week” by co-anchor Jonathan Karl whether Trump could defeat Biden, Christie said “I don’t think so.”

Sununu also said “no” when asked the same question earlier on the show, saying he thinks the former president would be seen as too “extreme.”

“No. Trump is going to be seen as a very extreme candidate. The country is going to push back against it,” Sununu said. “He could get the nomination, but he can’t get it done.”

Sununu is mulling a White House bid of his own. Christie ran for president in 2016 but ended his campaign in February of that year after losing the New Hampshire primary. He then endorsed Trump and advised his campaign.

Christie has since shared regular criticisms of Trump since the former president left office. He also argued that other Republican candidates may be hesitant to declare their intent to run because no one wants to be at the center of attacks by Trump.

“Who wants to be the first in the pool with Donald Trump?” Christie said. “When he has no one else to shoot at and his whole life is about shooting at people.”