Source: BEDMINSTER TOWNSHIP, NJ – NOVEMBER 20: (L to R) Donald Trump and Chris Christie shake hands before their meeting at Trump International Golf Club, November 20, 2016 in Bedminster Township, New Jersey. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced on Tuesday that he would seek the 2024 Republican nomination, setting up a rematch with his former ally Donald Trump and expanding the field of G.O.P. candidates.
At a town hall even in New Hampshire, Christie – who endorsed Trump after dropping out of the 2016 primary and then became a close advisor to the former president ahead of the 2020 election – described his past support as an error and urged Republicans to join him in rejecting the GOP front-runner.
Beware of the leader in this country, who you have handed leadership to, who has never made a mistake, who has never done anything wrong, who when something goes wrong it’s always someone else’s fault. And who has never lost,” Christie said of Trump.
Christie said Trump’s record in office was a failure and called him “a bitter, angry man.” He also went after Trump’s family, accusing them of profiting off the presidency in reference to an investment from the Saudi crown prince.
“The grift from his family is breathtaking,” Christie said. “It’s breathtaking. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kushner walk out of the White House and months later get $2 billion from the Saudis?”
“That’s your money he stole,” he continued, adding, “That makes us a banana republic.”
After railing on Trump for a while, Christie made his own declaration.
“I can’t guarantee you success, but I can guarantee you that at the end of it, you will have no doubt in your mind who I am and what I stand for and whether I deserve it,” he told the audience. “That’s why I came back to New Hampshire to tell all of you that I intend to seek the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 2024.”
Christie is scheduled to participate in a CNN town hall on Monday in New York, where he’ll take question from CNN’s Anderson Cooper and a live audience comprised of Republicans from the first four GOP nominating states as well as from voters in New Jersey and New York who say they plan to vote in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
