New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) stated Thursday that he does not believe President Joe Biden will be the Democratic Party's nominee for the 2024 presidential election, citing the recent court ruling on the president's son as a contributing factor.
Sununu's prediction comes a day after Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday after a planned plea deal fell apart. It involved the president's son pleading guilty to two tax misdemeanor charges and entering a diversion program to avoid a felony gun charge. The plea deal was reached weeks ago, and while United States District Judge Maryellen Noreika had been expected to accept it, she delayed ruling on the agreement until she obtained additional briefings from the government and the defendant's counsel.
HUNTER BIDEN PLEA DEAL COLLAPSES IN COURT AS JUDGE THROWS 'CURVEBALL'
"But I'm gonna tell you, I don't think Joe Biden is the nominee in 24," said Sununu. "And this is just one drop, many of the many drops in the bucket."
The governor said he believes Biden is going to go through the primary process but that the public will see "a wild convention" where the president and his people "start steering the delegates somewhere else." He added that this will be done to ensure that Biden does not have to testify in court and "open all this other stuff."
"So look, I don't know whether it's a grand scheme, I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any means, but I just think that's the way it's planned out," said Sununu. "I don't think Trump or Biden are on that ticket."
Sununu's comments come as Biden is already experiencing low approval ratings, as a poll released earlier this month showed the incumbent president’s approval fell to 40% in early July, slightly down one percentage point from the rating in June. The approval ratings, combined with the president's age of 80, pose concerns for some in the Democratic Party about his ability to win reelection.
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Former President Donald Trump, who lost reelection in 2020, is running for office again and is seen by many as the top candidate in the Republican primary. Other Republicans in the primary race include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former Vice President Mike Pence.
A Monmouth University poll, released Tuesday, showed a combined 69% of Republican voters think Trump is the strongest nominee to compete with Biden. By contrast, 18% of Republican voters thought a different candidate would be “probably stronger,” and 13% said another would be “definitely stronger.”