GOP governor dishes out the truth when George Stephanopoulos tries shaming him for supporting Trump: 'Me and 51% of America'

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) schooled George Stephanopoulos on Sunday when the ABC host tried to shame him for supporting Donald Trump.

There was a point in the 2024 election cycle when Sununu was outspoken about his opposition to Trump. The governor, after all, had backed Nikki Haley in the Republican primary. But Haley lost, and Sununu now supports Trump, understanding that a second Trump presidency is better than the alternative: a second term for President Joe Biden.

Sununu, of course, isn't the only American who thinks that way. Polls repeatedly show that a slight majority of voters feel that way, too — a reality Sununu tried to help Stephanopoulos understand.

During a contentious interview on ABC News' "This Week," Stephanopoulos grilled Sununu over Trump's criminal trial in Manhattan and Jan. 6 with questions that were designed to paint Sununu as a grand hypocrite by juxtaposing his previous criticisms of Trump with his current support for the former president.

At every point, Sununu tried his best to educate Stephanopoulos on what the voters actually care about.

Manhattan trial

Citing Trump's poll numbers, Sununu explained why he believes Trump's criminal trials will not move the political needle.

"This trial is not going to have major political ramifications," Sununu said of the Manhattan trial. "This has been going on for over a year, and [Trump's] poll numbers never seem to go down because of the issue."

'The real story'

When Stephanopoulos pressed Sununu on why he isn't concerned about Trump's criminal problems, Sununu described what he believes is the "real story" of this election.

"Do you know what the real story is? The average American that has gone from Biden back to Trump, the average American that is feeling inflation and all these other issues that says, 'Look, whether there's a conviction or not, we want a culture change in Washington, D.C., and we'll continue to support former President Trump," Sununu explained.

"The real discussion is America's moving away from Biden. That's how bad Biden has become as president," he continued. "You can't ignore inflation. You can't ignore the border, and say that these issues in the courthouse are going to be the one thing that brings Biden back into office. It's not going to happen that way."

Jan. 6

Stephanopoulos then shifted the conversation to Jan. 6 and Sununu's previous comments about it.

But Sununu made it clear that he believes Jan. 6 is not a meaningful issue that is going to help decide who wins the election.

"[Voters] want a culture of change in Washington, all the rules and policies that pound down on the American people. All the wokeness," Sununu said of voteres. "The fact that liberal elites in Washington want to stand on the shoulders of hardworking American families that built this country, defended this country, and tell them how to live their lives."

"They're angry. They're upset. That's the culture change that people want to see," he explained.

To his credit, Stephanopoulos admitted that he doesn't understand Sununu's position — a revealing admission.

"That doesn't make any sense to me, governor. I'm sorry," Stephanopoulos said.

"I understand it doesn't make sense to you, but look at the polls. What you're telling me is you don't understand why 51% of this country is supporting Donald Trump," Sununu responded. "They're not crazy. They're not MAGA conservatives. They're not extremists. They want culture change."

Ultimately, Sununu explained that it's a truth that media elites like Stephanopoulos can't understand.

"You're part of the media. I understand you're in this New York City bubble or whatever it is, but you've got to look around what's happening across this country," Sununu said.

"It's not about just supporting Trump. It's getting rid of what we have today. It's about understanding inflation is crushing families. It's understanding that this border issue is not a Texas issue; it's a 50-state issue that has to be brought under control," he explained. "It's about that type of elitism that the average American is just sick and tired of. And it's a culture change. That's what I’m supporting. That's what most of America right now is looking to support, and wants to change there."

At no point in the interview did Stephanopoulos demonstrate that he understood conceptually what Sununu was saying. Instead, he only focused on Sununu's decision to support Trump.

"Just to sum up: You would support him for president even if he is convicted in classified documents? You would support him for president even though you believe he contributed to an insurrection? You would support him for president even though you believe he's lying about the last election? You would support him for president even if he's convicted in the Manhattan case? The answer to that is 'yes,' correct?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"Yes, me and 51% of America," Sununu fired back.

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