Sununu: Trump’s mug shot will turn off independents

Four indictments later, Donald Trump is not only the first former president to face criminal charges, but he’s now made history again with a mug shot released this week by the Fulton County Jail.

The question remains whether this tangible display of Trump’s legal peril will change anything for the Republican electorate that continues to support him.

Among likely Republican caucus-goers in Iowa, Trump’s lead only grew after his most recent indictment, according to the first 2024 NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll released this week.

In an interview airing Sunday on “Inside with Jen Psaki” at 12 p.m. ET, New Hampshire’s Republican Gov. Chris Sununu tells us he believes the mug shot “doesn’t change anything” with Trump’s base.

“It allows him to maintain his presence in the media, his image,” Sununu says. Sununu argues that Trump’s mug shot will, however, turn off independent voters.

“Independents hate it. There’s no way Donald Trump will win anything above 31% of the independents, which is why Republicans as a whole will get crushed if he’s on [the ticket].”

Kathryn Kline

Production assistant, “Inside with Jen Psaki”