Privatizing Social Security, Defending Hegseth, and Sununu Confusion: Lowlights from Sununu’s First Two U.S. Senate Debates

MANCHESTER, N.H. — After debate-dodging his way through the Republican primary, it’s no wonder Sununu’s rusty. Through two debates against Chris Pappas, John Sununu has done nothing to convince voters that he will be more than a rubber stamp for Donald Trump, living up to his pledge that his race is “important to President Trump’s agenda.” Accumulating a record over the course of the campaign of supporting and downplaying the worst parts of President Trump’s agenda — including Trump’s war with Iran, Trump’s tariff taxes, and Trump’s cuts to health care — Sununu has now embarrassed himself on stage repeatedly: Defending his plan to privatize Social Security, refusing to pledge to vote for Iran War Powers Resolutions to end that war, and even standing up for Pete Hegseth against pushes for accountability.

Read and watch key lowlights from the first two debates below: 

Sununu Touted His Record of Privatizing Social Security and Explicitly Told Voters He’s Hiding What He’ll Do If Elected

When asked how he would address future shortcomings in the Social Security trust fund, Sununu initially refused to lay out what specific changes he would support before going back to his repeated attempts to privatize Social Security while in office. 

  • WATCH: Sununu Tells the Moderator, “I’m Not Going to Lay Out Specific Changes [to Social Security] That I Support”
  • WATCH: Sununu Touts his Repeated Attempts to Privatize Social Security in Office That Would’ve Exposed Granite Staters’ Retirement Accounts to Stock Market Crashes
  • WATCH: Sununu Then Doubles Down by Touting his Privatization Plans Again During the Following Debate

Sununu Refused to Support War Powers Resolution 

John Sununu, who has personally profited from the Iran War, specifically said that he opposes ending funding for the War right now, and has gone to great lengths at both debates now to refuse to support a War Powers Resolution, even when pushed directly on it. 

  • WATCH: Sununu Says Regarding War “I Don’t Think it Would be Wise Right Now to Cut Off Funding” 
  • WATCH: Pappas Directly Pushes “Senator Sununu Hasn’t… Been Willing to Say That he Would Support a War Powers Resolution to Stop Donald Trump’s War Effort and to Bring our Troops Home”

Sununu Refused to “Litigate” Whether he Would’ve Voted to Confirm Pete Hegseth, RFK Jr., or Kristi Noem Then Defends Hegseth Against Accountability Pushes the Next Night

Trump lackey John Sununu was directly asked during the first debate if he would have supported Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Kristi Noem, and he refused to say how he would vote on their nominations. Even worse, the next night, Sununu went on a bizarre defense of Hegseth, saying that he should not be impeached despite Hegseth’s outrageous public failures and decisions to undermine our national security. 

  • WATCH: Sununu Said, “I’m Not Going to Litigate Each” Confirmation Vote for Pete Hegseth, RFK Jr., or Kristi Noem
  • WATCH: Sununu Passed on Voting to Impeach Pete Hegseth, Claiming, “You Shouldn’t be Impeached for a Bad Decision”

Another Debate Moderator Mistook Sununu for his More Popular, More Charismatic, Little Brother

A second debate moderator confused John Sununu with his younger, more charismatic brother Chris during the debate, before noting Chris is “definitely” not John when correcting himself. Sununu’s yard signs still do not show his first name. 

  • WATCH: Moderator Misidentifies Sununu as His Brother

Ultimately, the Contrast in this Race Was Best Summed Up By Chris Pappas

At the end of the day, Chris Pappas made the strongest case for why John Sununu’s new debate persona of “independence” wasn’t fooling anyone: 

  • WATCH: Pappas Eviscerated Sununu’s Record of Failing Granite Staters

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