Becoming former President Donald Trump's running mate if he wins the GOP nomination is the "furthest thing" from Nikki Haley's mind at this point in her campaign for the White House, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, one of her key endorsers, said on Newsmax on Thursday.
"Look, I know that that sounds like news, but I've got to tell you as someone who has been a candidate and been through this and all that sort of thing, when you're a candidate, you're not thinking about any of that," Sununu told Newsmax's "Wake Up America."
He added that speaking for Haley, a former United Nations ambassador and one-time governor of South Carolina, he knows "it's the furthest thing from her mind. It should be the furthest thing from any of their minds."
Sununu added that "nobody thinks like that" when it comes to what their position would be in a possible future administration.
"Everyone is always 100% focused on the messaging, and who we're talking to," he said.
Haley's numbers are "flying through the roof right now, nationally, and in New Hampshire, she's well within striking distance," and he thinks that even Trump is anticipating that Haley will take New Hampshire's primary win.
"They're all trying to figure out what Trump's team is going to do after that," said Sununu. "So I've just got to tell you, it's not even really part of the thought process when you're a candidate."
Sununu also dismissed comments from another candidate, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who claimed in a television interview that a South Carolina politician told him that Haley would "eat glass" to be Trump's running mate.
"He's talking on 'The View,'" said Sununu. "Let's understand the audience that Chris Christie is talking to right there. Nikki Haley is not playing for second place. There's no question about that.
"She's going to beat [Trump] right here in New Hampshire. It's going to be a great reset for the rest of the country. There's no question about that."
Sununu added that both he and Haley supported Trump in 2016 and 2020, but said "you can't go backward," and when it comes to Christie, he was being "just his own bombastic self ... It's his poll numbers that are dropping now, so he's going to throw anything he can you know whether it's on 'The View' or not just to get a little more attention."
Meanwhile, Sununu said Christie should drop out of the race, adding that Trump is the only person who doesn't want that to happen.
"When he drops out all of his votes go to Nikki Haley and Trump loses in New Hampshire," said Sununu. "Trump's the only one praying that Chris stays in the race, so if Chris wants to fulfill on that mission of delivering Trump a loss, I think he can be the hero here."
But, he said that Christie is a "good guy" and a "smart guy" and he believes he will "make the right decision" and drop out of the race.
Sununu did acknowledge that if Trump wins the GOP nomination, he'll support him, as he'll support the party's eventual nominee as President Joe Biden has been an "absolute disaster for this country."
Still, Sununu said he does not think Biden will be the Democrats' eventual nominee.
"A new fresh face on the Democrat side is going to have a lot of opportunity," he said. "I think the Democrats are still smart enough to pull that trigger. But yeah, look, we're all going to support the Republican nominee. It's that important to get this country back on track."
However, Sununu said Trump is losing his appeal as the field of candidates narrow.
When there were 12 candidates in the race, many voters went with the name identification, he said, but "one-third of all the Trump voters in all those polls have all said they [would] still consider another candidate."
And now that the race appears to have been narrowed down to being between Haley and Trump, "that's why he's so vulnerable here in New Hampshire," said Sununu.
Haley, he added, has spoken with people in New Hampshire who are "typically Trump supporters" who are concerned with his focus on legal battles, not inflation or the border.
"A lot of those folks, you're seeing, are coming over in the coming weeks," Sununu said.
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com