Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday, but Donald Trump undermined his efforts to thwart his Republican rivals by thoroughly dismantling them during a hot mic. .
Minutes before the announcement in Windham, New Hampshire, Christie spoke on the event’s livestream, referring to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, saying, “She’s going to smoke, and you and I both know that.” “I’m here,” I heard him say. “She doesn’t mean that,” he said of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, adding, “Mr. DeSantis freaked out and called me.”
President Trump immediately seized on the remarks, writing on Truth Social that Christie’s comments about Haley, who appears to be the biggest obstacle to Trump’s victory in New Hampshire, were “very true statements.” .
In his speech, Mr. Christie did not endorse his rival or discuss the prospect of running against Mr. Trump, dashing hopes among moderate Republicans that Mr. Christie’s withdrawal would unite the remaining members of the party against Mr. Trump. Ta.
In fact, Mr. Christie criticized his opponents’ longstanding public deference to the former president and had nothing positive to say about their candidacy.
“I’d rather tell the truth and lose than lie to win,” he said. “I feel that way today, because this is a fight for the soul of our party and the soul of our country.”
His resignation, following mounting pressure from within the party, would effectively end this phase of the Republican presidential campaign and remove Trump’s most aggressive critics from the field. He was the only prominent candidate to declare that Trump was unfit to be president. This claim almost doomed his candidacy from the beginning.
Despite Mr. Christie’s stinging criticism of his rivals, his decision could make the New Hampshire primary on January 23 a two-person race between Mr. Trump and Ms. Haley. . Her positions on foreign policy, national security and the rule of law largely overlap with Christie’s, and she hopes to solidify non-Trump Republicans and independents into her own ranks. .
After Mr. Christie’s speech, Ms. Haley praised Mr. Christie as a “long-time friend” and praised him in a statement for “fighting a tough battle,” but did not address Mike’s glowing comments. “I will fight to get every vote,” she said.
Mr. DeSantis called Mr. Christie on Wednesday to thank him for his role in the contest, according to two people with knowledge of the call. During the conversation, Christie mocked Haley and said she was not up to the task, sources said.
“I agree with Christie that Nikki Haley is ‘going to get smoked,'” DeSantis wrote on social media Wednesday.
Recent polls show Ms. Haley closing the gap with Mr. Trump in New Hampshire, and her support combined with that of Mr. Christie could equal or exceed that of the former president. There is also. A CNN/University of New Hampshire poll released Tuesday found Trump’s approval rating at 39%, Haley at 32% and Christie at 12%.
Christie, a former U.S. attorney, has built his candidacy around prosecutors’ arguments about his domineering rival’s unfitness for office. Even as many of his rivals try hard to find a middle ground between admiration and nuanced contrast, he has made a strong case for Mr. Trump, once an ally but now a bitter adversary. He steadfastly refused to weaken his condemnation.
Because of his bold stance and lack of tolerance among Republican voters, Mr. Christie fell far behind in polls and fundraising, and only managed to gain a foothold in the independent-leaning state of New Hampshire. But the former governor was overshadowed by Haley in the Granite State in the final months of the campaign, with Gov. Chris Sununu endorsing Haley in December and then calling on Christie to withdraw from the race. was the norm.
For weeks, Mr. Christie has rejected any suggestion that he should resign, emphasizing the importance of his role as President Trump’s chief critic in a declining Republican field.
As recently as Tuesday, he detailed his reasons for moving forward.
“Let’s say I pulled out of the race now and supported Nikki Haley,” he said. “And three months from now, four months from now, we’ll be getting ready to go to the convention. She’ll come out and be his vice president. What will that look like? What will the faces of the people who supported her at my behest look when she gets on stage in Milwaukee and raises her hands like this with Donald Trump?”
Some of Mr. Christie’s supporters expressed disappointment after Wednesday’s event. “I think he did something very noble and patriotic,” said Toni Pappas, a Hillsborough County commissioner from Manchester, N.H., who was among them.
Tom Burton, a self-described liberal from Washington, New Hampshire, who had planned to vote for Mr. Christie, said he didn’t think he would support another Republican. “They don’t have the courage to tell the truth about Trump,” he says.
Still, most Republican voters remained adamantly opposed to Mr. Christie, who continued to plod along without changing his approach. In fact, they became more determined to attack the former president.
“The future of this country is decided here,” Christie told a crowd at a New Hampshire brewery in September, clutching an IPA. That was the warning he issued almost every time he called off his campaign. “If Donald Trump wins here, he will be our candidate. Everything that happens after that will concern our party and our country. It’s up to you.”
