Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie officially launched his 2024 presidential campaign on Tuesday, wasting no time in criticizing his predecessor, Donald Trump.
In the morning, Christie completed the necessary paperwork before addressing a crowd of New Hampshire voters and directing his criticisms towards the former president on various issues.
Highlighting unfulfilled campaign promises made by the outgoing president, Christie particularly expressed his dissatisfaction with Trump’s failure to complete the border wall.
The ex-governor took swipes at Trump’s character, accusing him of evading responsibility for his mistakes and shifting blame onto others.
Beware, for a leader who not only refuses to serve the people but also fails to find anyone else to do so. “And a leader who is lonely, self-absorbed, and constantly seeking attention is not truly a leader,” Christie declared. “Let me make it abundantly clear, if I haven’t already, the person I am referring to, who is obsessed with himself, never admits fault, always finds someone or something to blame for failures, but takes credit for any success, is Donald Trump.”
Trump took to social media in response to Christie’s speech, questioning, “How many times did Chris Christie use the word ‘small’? Does he suffer from a psychological issue related to his size? His speech wasn’t big or great. It was all over the place, and nobody could understand a word. It’s tiresome and challenging to watch, but that’s to be expected from an unpopular former governor of New Jersey who was ultimately defeated in New Hampshire. It won’t be any different this time!”
Polling expert Steve Kornacki noted last month that Christie “likely faces the toughest challenge among the ’24 GOP candidates” to secure the party’s nomination, but he could significantly harm Trump if successful.
Christie’s aggressive attacks on then-Florida Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio are widely credited with derailing Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Kornacki further speculated, “Christie could be an exception,” suggesting that he might serve as a formidable opponent to Trump or whoever has the best chance of defeating him. This could potentially deal significant blows to Trump’s campaign, as no other Republican has managed to do so effectively, as described by The Washington Post.
Republican strategist Mike Murphy warned earlier this month that Christie’s presidential run would be akin to “lighting a stick of dynamite and charging straight at Donald Trump.”
