Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took his crusade against Former president Donald Trump to CNN’s airwaves, saying the former president’s legal problems and character issues render him unfit for another term in the White House. A Trump return to the presidency will only be about “settling scores” rather than helping the American people, Christie told a CNN town hall event staged in New York City. “He has shown himself … to be completely self-centered, completely self-consumed, and doesn’t give a damn about the American people, in my view,” Christie said. The Republican Party in general, particularly Trump’s primary challengers, should also go on the attack, Christie said, if only because of Trump’s recent failures in national elections. The Associated Press has the story:
‘3-time loser.’ Christie rips Trump in town hall
Republican Chris Christie used a 90-minute town hall on CNN Tuesday to present the most robust conservative case to date against Donald Trump being the GOP nominee for president in 2024.
The former New Jersey governor presented a stark warning to the country in front of a live audience that included voters from the first four primary states.
“I am convinced if (Trump) goes back to the White House, that the next four years will be all about him settling scores… with everybody who he thinks wasn’t perfectly nice to him,” Christie said.
Christie, who previously backed Trump, said the critical moment he changed his view was when Trump began peddling false claims about losing the 2020 presidential contest.
“That is a child,” he said. “That’s a child’s reaction, everybody. Every parent out there recognizes it, knows it.”
In a growing primary field, Christie has tried to set himself apart by being the fiercest attack dog against the front-runner.
But he also was asked about his own views and policy prescriptions on topics ranging from abortion and gun control to how he plans to claw his way to the Republican mountaintop and challenge Democratic President Joe Biden.
Here are the key moments.
Christie: The Trump sequel will be all about revenge
Out of the gate Christie cast Trump as a madman and setup the 2024 Republican primary as the best opportunity to stop the former president from using the country to settle personal and political grudges.
“He’s angry and he’s vengeful, and he said, ‘I will be your retribution’… he wants to be retribution for himself,” Christie said.
A former U.S. attorney, Christie prosecuted the case against Trump mostly through a character lens, describing the reality TV star and real estate mogul as a “self-centered” candidate and “three-time loser” who hasn’t served the Republican Party well since 2016.
Asked about the latest indictment against Trump, who faced about three-dozen counts around improperly taking sensitive and classified information from the White House and hiding the documents from federal investigators, Christie said it is “tight, very evidence-laden.”
The New Jersey Republican said he doesn’t believe Trump was trying to sell the documents or blackmail someone, but rather he kept them in order to “show off” to friends and associates.
Other GOP contenders fear Trump and are ‘playing games,’ Christie says
As much as Christie talked about Trump’s character, he took a wack at the other GOP rivals.
Asked by moderator Anderson Cooper about why the other Republican contenders have mostly defended Trump against the latest prosecution, Christie didn’t hold back.
“They’re playing political games with you,” he said. “Because they think if I kind of like Trump a little bit, and I don’t say anything bad about Trump, and then Trump kind of implodes and goes away, then you’re more likely to vote for me.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considered Trump’s chief rival in 2024, has broadly slammed the U.S. Department of Justice and criticized “the weaponization of federal law enforcement,” but hasn’t laid any gloves on Trump.
Other opponents, such as former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, initially defended Trump against what she described as an unfair indictment, but she pivoted a bit Tuesday, saying if the allegations are true the former president was “incredibly reckless” with national security.
No matter, Christie said.
“The only thing he understands is force,” he said.
A Republican governor, but in a blue state
When voters in attendance grabbed the microphone, many peppered Christie − who is in the basement of the current polls − with questions about what specific skills or experience sets him apart from the other candidates.
Christie pitched himself as a two-term Republican governor in a blue state who knows how to compromise.
That will matter in Washington, where there is often a divided government. But Christie said his record shows he can get things done in a divided government.
“And with all due respect to these governors from red states, who have Republican legislatures, man I’m telling you, I would have given my right arm to have a Republican legislature for a week,” he said. “They would have never slept, we would have done so much in that week.”
No country for old men?
The 60-year-old former New Jersey governor said it’s a “coin flip” when asked who is worse between Biden with his age or Trump with his indictments.
But Christie dove right into bringing up the A-word.
“If those two people were the nominees, they are going to be a combined 160 years old on Election Day,” he said. “I’m sorry, guys, nobody beats father time. Nobody does.”
How old is too old to be president has been a consistent issue through the early stages of this race, particularly for the 80-year-old Biden, whose age is a concern for Democrats. Trump isn’t that far behind at 76.
Christie said he can’t imagine being president two decades from now.
“They are past their sell-by dates,” he said.
Christie admits guns answer isn’t a great one
One somber moment came when a voter whose son was killed in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, which claimed 58 lives, asked what, if anything, can be done to curb such horrific massacres while protecting gun rights.
Christie said it is the most difficult public policy question in America, emphasizing law enforcement must become more aware of mental health issues in their communities, “because in the end, those people almost always send off signs and signals.”
But ultimately Christie admitted as a father he feels that answer is “wholly inadequate” given the gravity of the violence.
“And so all I can say to you is that I will do my very best to try to come up with some compromise that can bring all sides together on this that can make it better,” he said.
Roe is wrong, but make case in the states
Christie made clear he opposes abortion and that “every life is precious and should be protected,” but he was pressed on whether he backs a national ban as some social conservatives have demanded.
The New Jersey Republican said that isn’t something to be worried about right now at the federal level, and the debate should be among the 50 states making their own decisions. He noted, for example, how many thought Kansas would be an anti-abortion state, but that voters there protected it as a right.
“We’re not at a consensus point,” he said.
China and TikTok
One of the dividing lines in the 2024 Republican primary is Russia’s war with Ukraine. Christie defended U.S. support for Ukraine’s military, but described it as “a proxy war with China.”
On multiple occassions Christie set up how the U.S. is in conflict with China, which will define the 21st Century as the latter is looking to set “the tone for this world.”
Christie also mentioned the rise of TikTok, which some lawmakers have suggested be banned in America. He suggested a social media peace treaty of sorts, pointing out how Facebook and Twitter are not allowed in China.
“They let Facebook, Twitter and our social media into China, I’ll let TikTok stay, they don’t—TikTok goes,” he said.
