'This guy is awful': Internet slams Chris Sununu for calling Nikki Haley's Civil War gaffe a 'non-issue'

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE: New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu found himself in hot water as he tried to downplay GOP contender Nikki Haley's Civil War answer, calling it a “mistake.”

The 51-year-old former governor of South Carolina made the gaffe at a town hall in New Hampshire on December 27, which set off a massive surge of soundbites and criticism.

When asked what she thought started the war, Haley replied that it involved “the freedoms of what people could and couldn’t do” and discussed the role of government and capitalism without mentioning slavery.

“In the year 2023, it’s astonishing to me that you answer that question without mentioning the word ‘slavery,’” the town hall questioner asked to which she replied, “What do you want me to say about slavery?”

The next day, in a radio interview, she tried to do damage control, saying, “Of course, the Civil War was about slavery.”

What did Sununu say about Haley's Civil War answer?

On Sunday, December 31, Sununu, who has endorsed Haley in the GOP primary, was at an interview on CNN’s 'State of the Union', when host Dana Bash asked him about Haley’s answers.

In response, Sununu acknowledged that Haley’s initial answer at an event last week was a “mistake,” but she cleared up her remarks quickly and made it a “non-issue.”

“Well, she cleared it up quickly, right? Obviously, if something needs to be cleared up a bit, you know, you wish you had said it a little differently the first time, but it was quickly cleared up,” he said, according to Politico.

“I think she was talking more to the freedoms and liberties that we want for every American and the lessons that come out of that going forward,” he added, noting that Haley “skipped over the obvious” answer.

When Bash pressed him further on whether Haley made a mistake in that initial answer, Sununu admitted that she had and again reiterated that she clarified her answer shortly after.

Haley’s primary opponent Chris Christie also claimed that her initial comment was an example of her trying to please everyone rather than an unintentional omission.

“She’s smart and she knows better,” he said earlier in the week, adding, “The reason she did it is just as bad if not worse... she did it because she is not willing to offend anyone by telling the truth.”

Internet reacts to Chris Sununu’s remarks

After Sununu’s remarks surfaced on social media, many users slammed him for downplaying Haley's Civil War answer and calling it a “mistake.”

“God this guy is awful,” one user blasted. “Wrong, it is a big issue! It shows how unqualified she is to be “President”!” the second user trolled.

“Has Gov Sununu new been studying Gerald Ford? Cuz he's repeating Ford's statements just before he pardoned Nixon in the deal they made! It had been a 2-year investigation into Nixon, the country was tired of it! We had to move on, to Donald Trump! And repeat the same process again!” the third user fumed.

“Sununu is so full of crap. It wasn’t that long ago on national TV, after stating how bad Trump was and would be for the Country if elected again, said that he would still vote for him. So his endorsement of Haley is as useless as he is,” the fourth user stated.

“Sununu is nothing more then a corrupt Rino and the biggest Grifter of N.H. Grifter Sununu is a failed Governor of N.H. Grifter Sununu will always remain a Grifter,’ the fifth user said.

“Made a mistake? A pretty easy one to flub - yet she should negotiate with world leaders?” another user asserted.