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President Joe Biden laughed and chatted with Chris Sununu upon his arrival in New Hampshire on Tuesday just a few weeks after the Republican governor described Donald Trump as ‘f***ing crazy.’
Biden touched down in Portsmouth to tout his infrastructure law. Sununu greeted him on the tarmac as he has on past presidential visits. The governor will not be attending Biden’s speech.
But the two men appeared jovial in their greeting of one another: a long handshake, Biden patted the governor’s arm, Sununu leaned over to whisper in the president’s ear.
Biden made brief remarks at the airport as he was preparing to depart for the Portsmouth Port Authority.
Asked if the U.S. was sending more weapons to the Ukraine, the president shouted back ‘yes.’
The first shipments of the latest round of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, which includes heavier weapons systems, started arriving in the region over the weekend, according to the Pentagon.
The recently approved $800 million in security assistance includes Howitzer artillery systems, 40,000 artillery rounds, armored personnel vehicles and other weapons.
President Joe Biden laughed and chatted with Republican Gov. Chris Sununu upon his arrival in New Hampshire
Gov. Sununu greeted President Biden at the airport but will not attend his event at the Portsmouth Port Authority
Sununu, meanwhile, garnered attention for his remarks at the white-tie Gridiron dinner in early April, where he slammed Trump.
‘He’s f***ing crazy,’ the governor said. The dinner features a Republican and Democratic speaker and is known for its roasts.
‘I don’t think he’s so crazy that you could put him in a mental institution,’ Sununu added. ‘But I think if he were in one, he ain’t getting out.’
After the dinner, when some Trump supporters were upset at his remarks, Sununu said it was all a joke.
He stressed the satire nature of the dinner during an interview with Chris Ryan of NH Today Monday morning, saying he was kidding.
‘It’s all a joke. Look, I don’t think he’s crazy. It’s all a joke,’ Sununu said.
‘It’s all in fun, it’s all a joke, and anyone who’s trying to make this to be more than it is either seriously doesn’t understand what the Gridiron dinner is all about, or just has to, you know, like I said, lighten up a little bit, get a sense of humor. And understand, we have serious jobs; I take my job incredibly seriously. I think we’ve done a great job in New Hampshire, but you can’t take yourself too seriously,’ he added.
Biden didn’t attend the Gridiron dinner but sent a video message. In it, he thanked Sununu for helping Democrats keep the Senate.
Sununu, who was heavily courted by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to run for Senate, declined to challenge Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan. It was a tough loss for the GOP and a sigh of relief for Democrats.
Hassan still faces an uphill climb to another term despite Sununu’s pass.
Gov. Sununu garnered attention earlier this month when he described Donald Trump as ‘f***ing crazy’ during a speech to Gridiron dinner
Also greeting Biden at the airport was Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, who faces a tough re-election campaign
The governor told the Washington Examiner earlier this year that he was ‘pretty close to running’ – and then he talked to Senate Republicans.
‘They were all, for the most part, content with the speed at which they weren’t doing anything. It was very clear that we just have to hold the line for two years. OK, so I’m just going to be a roadblock for two years. That’s not what I do,’ Sununu said.
Sununu opted to seek a fourth, two-year term in the governor’s mansion. He is the son of John H. Sununu, a former New Hampshire governor and the former chief of staff to President George H.W. Bush.
Hassan also greeted Biden at the airport and will attend his remarks.