Trump blasts Sununu, Haley and undeclared voting in NH primary

PORTSMOUTH — Former President Donald Trump, seeking to hold off a challenge from former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley in next week's Republican New Hampshire primary, blasted Gov. Chris Sununu and the state for allowing undeclared voters to vote in the state's primary.

He called Sununu, “unelectable” in New Hampshire, though he won four straight terms as governor, and took more shots at Haley, who is running second to Trump in state primary polls. He claimed Sununu, who is campaigning hard for Haley, is allowing Democrats to vote in the Republican primary, a reference to New Hampshire allowing voters who are undeclared (no party affiliation) to vote in either the Republican or a Democratic primary.

Trump took the stage more than an hour late to his scheduled speech in Portsmouth at the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel Wednesday night. Earlier in the day, he was in federal court in Manhattan as part of a civil defamation case against him.“I'll tell you, if you want to defeat the radical left Democrats and save America, you vote for President Trump,” he said.

More NH primary coverage: Haley says Trump is 'lying' about her record, chides him for refusing to debate

Trump urged the crowd to help him win big in New Hampshire.

“We need big margins … because we have to set the tone for November,” he said.

More: Trump, blending legal battles and campaign, tops long day in court with Portsmouth rally

Promises made by Trump on Wednesday included strengthening the southern border with Mexico, vowing to “have the largest deportation” of migrants in U.S. history and reducing inflation levels. He vowed "on day one" to eliminate federally mandated monitors from fishing boats and to indemnify all police officers." He also vowed to uphold the Second Amendment, ban transgender women from women’s sports, make American airport experiences better and make Washington D.C. “crime free.”

Speakers urge crowd to help Trump

Warming up the crowd prior to Trump’s speech was Alan Forbes, chairperson of the Portsmouth Republican Committee. He encouraged voters to join the “Trump train” ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

“After his absolutely astonishing victory in Iowa, I think we can expect the same thing here in New Hampshire,” he said.

But attracting voters to Trump’s legion of supporters isn’t the easiest, he acknowledged. Forbes admitted that even members of his family find Trump to be “a little unhinged.”

“But if you can crack open the light of truth, pretty soon, it's just an avalanche,” Forbes added. “And you can bring them up. That's all we can do. I'm going to ask all of you to try to find one or two voters who you can pull over, and don't do it by smacking them with facts and logic or stories that they can’t relate to. Let’s pull Donald Trump over the finish line.”

Lilli Walsh, a Republican New Hampshire state representative, is serving as the chairperson of Trump’s county re-election effort. She told voters to consider new ways to help Trump.

“Considering all he does for us, let me ask you: “What are you doing for him?”

Trump loyalists sing his praises as they line up in cold hours before his arrival

Bill and Patricia Trujillo, a married couple from Lee, voted for third-party candidate Gary Johnson in the 2016 election. By 2020, then-President Trump had won them both over and they cast their ballots for him in his unsuccessful re-election bid.

This year, they’re readying to vote for him again in the New Hampshire primary.

The Trujillos feel strongly that Trump is the candidate to take on the economy, illegal immigration and foreign policy. They feel that under Biden major conflicts have broken out across the world.

“He’s already got the experience of how to handle things there,” Bill Trujillo said of Trump. “And with his previous foreign policy, no wars, and (he was promoting) a lot of peace.”

Trump’s event at the Sheraton was set to be the first time they’ve heard him speak in person. Both sported “Make America Great Again” hats.

“We’ve seen him on TV, and he's just not a fictional character,” Patricia Trujillo said. “But to see him in person, I believe we're going to have a greater personal experience.”

Derry resident Sherry Carignan arrived to the event with her two children, both of whom she pulled out of public school to homeschool after Trump lost the 2020 election. If Trump returns to office, she hopes he makes changes to the American educational system through an emphasis on history and cutting back on what she called “slanted” science teachings.

She believes the cost of living in America would decrease if Trump is elected and replaces Joe Biden as president.

“I know one thing: When he was in last time, my family went on vacation a whole bunch of times and had money in the bank,” Carignan said. “I could afford groceries and I could afford to help other people. Since Biden has come into office, gas prices have skyrocketed, which has affected everything in our economy.”

Geo Mann, a Seabrook resident, carried a flag outside the hotel with a stars and stripes-adorned cartoon eagle, reading: “1776; Ultra MAGA; We the People.” The Seacoast resident referred to himself as “MAGA Mann” and said he has attended flag waving events in support of Trump throughout New Hampshire.

“I never miss any flag wave. I never miss any rallies. I don't care how cold it is,” he said. “We'll march around downtown to warm up and stuff. Anything to get the blood pumping.”

As Trump supporters gathered, a truck with a traveling digital billboard in support of Haley drove up and down the downtown streets.

The New Hampshire primary is Tuesday, Jan. 23.

Trump faces defamation trial before Portsmouth stop

Before his Portsmouth speech, Trump was in a Manhattan federal courthouse earlier Wednesday for a civil defamation trial brought forward by writer E. Jean Carroll. In May, during the first trial involving the two parties, a New York federal jury found Trump sexually abused Carroll and defamed her, and she was awarded $5 million in damages.

More: Judge warns he will kick Donald Trump out of E. Jean Carroll defamation trial

Impeached twice during his presidency, Trump is the only former U.S. president to be criminally indicted. He currently faces 91 charges over four criminal cases, which are tied to allegations of federal and state election interference, stashing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago Club and committing business fraud in New York.

Trump's past in Portsmouth

Trump is no stranger to the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel, where he received an endorsement in 2015 from the New England Police Benevolent Association. The visit also drew hundreds of protesters.

Trump’s last known visit to Portsmouth prior to Wednesday came in October, when a spokesperson for his campaign said the former president attended a closed-door meeting with law enforcement officials at the AC Hotel.

A Toyota dealership in Portsmouth hosted him for a rally in October 2016.

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, the former president was scheduled to hold a rally in July 2020 at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease, with Air Force One serving as the backdrop in a hangar. The event was canceled.

Trump’s current swing through New Hampshire began Tuesday in Atkinson. He appeared alongside Vivek Ramaswamy and took shots at rival candidate Nikki Haley after praising her a day earlier.

After his Portsmouth remarks, Trump has three additional public events in New Hampshire: a Friday event in Concord, a Saturday rally in Manchester and an appearance at the Rochester Opera House on Sunday at 7 p.m., according to his campaign events schedule.

Trump looks poised to again capture the Republican nomination for president, holding substantial leads in state and national polls.

Correction: This story has been updated to state Lilli Walsh is a current state representative.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Trump blasts Sununu, Haley and undeclared voting in NH primary