Gov. Chris Christie and Donald Trump (NJ.com)
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is one of the few Republicans running in the 2024 presidential primary who is actively going after former President Donald Trump, after a long political journey from being critical of him in 2016 to serving on his transition team after he won, to once again becoming oppositional.
Speaking to CNN's Anderson Cooper in a lengthy interview on Wednesday evening, Christie laid out all of his thoughts on the former president.
"If you or one of the other challengers manages to defeat the former president to get the nomination, how — what is the chance of him coming saying the primary was rigged?" asked Cooper.
"Given his history, it is probably pretty good," said Christie. "But I think he will be a discredited figure if defeated again. That will mean he lost in 2018, when he lost the House, and 2020 lost the White House, and lost the United States Senate for the Republican Party. In 2022, lost two more governorships, and another seat in the United States Senate, and led a horribly underperforming House majority of five seats, and now will have lost the primary 2024. That makes him a four-time loser. I think at that point, he can cry and complain all he wants, I am certain he would. I think the Republican Party will unite behind whoever wins the primary other than Donald Trump."
"I know loser is like the greatest insult for him," said Cooper. "You keep saying loser."
"I didn't know that, but what I will tell you is it is true," said Christie. "Here is what Republican primary voters need, two things they need more than anything else. They need the truth ... [and] they need results on the issues they really care about. Donald Trump said he would repeal and replace Obamacare, he failed. He said he was going to build a wall across the entire Mexican border. As you know, he built 47 miles of new wall, new wall, 47 miles in four years. At that pace of 12 miles a year, he would have to be president for another 50 years to be able to build that entire wall. Said Mexico would pay for it, haven't gotten our first peso from the Mexicans. And then said he would balance the budget in four years and he added $6 trillion to the national debt."
"Those are all issues Republican voters care about," Christie continued. "They need someone who will deliver on those issues. I delivered on them in a blue state. That prepares me to go to Congress and help deliver them as president."
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