Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie criticized Vivek Ramaswamy as his rival tried to defend Donald Trump in the presidential debate.
At Wednesday night’s event, as Christie expressed his belief that the country should move on from Trump, he suddenly turned his attention to Ramaswamy.
“Vivek, put your hand down for a second, okay?” he said, sounding like a disapproving school teacher. “I still have time, dude, so relax.”
After the temporary farewell, he returned to the topic of the former president.
“Look, this guy hasn’t just divided our party, he’s divided families across the country.” He has divided friends across the country.
When Vivek Ramaswamy tried to interrupt Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor abruptly stopped him and ordered him to lower his hand and wait his turn
“I’ve talked to people, and I know everyone else has, too, who have sat at Thanksgiving dinner or a birthday party and can’t hold a conversation anymore.” “If they don’t agree with Donald Trump, he has to leave the island and be removed from this process,” Christie said.
When it was Ramaswamy’s turn, he first called Trump “an outstanding president.”
He added: “But the ‘America First’ agenda doesn’t belong to one man.” It doesn’t belong to Donald Trump. It’s not mine. It belongs to you, the people of this country. And the question is: Who will unite this country and take the America First agenda to the next level?
The Harvard and Yale graduate, who previously heaped praise on the 45th president, said he respects Trump “because it’s the right thing to do.”
Ramaswamy remained a staunch supporter of Trump, praising him throughout his campaign and was asked to explain his policy differences because they are so similar.
In a post on Fox News at the end of August, he described himself and the 45th president as “90 percent close in politics.”
The 38-year-old praised Trump during the first Republican presidential debate, calling him “the best president of his life.”
Trump praised Ramaswamy in his own way when he visited Glenn Beck’s show on Blaze TV shortly after the debate.
Asked if he would consider the nominee as a running mate, Trump said, “Well, I think he’s great.” Look, everyone who said I was the best president in a generation… like that I have to like a guy.
“He’s a smart guy. He’s a young guy. He has a lot of talent. “He’s a very, very, very intelligent person,” Trump continued.
He said he believes the presidential candidate has “good energy” and has “really stood out.”
He, however, admitted that Ramaswamy had started to become “a bit controversial” the more eyes were on him.
Christie continued his sharp criticism of Trump, saying, “This guy has not only divided our party, he has divided families across the country.”
When it was Ramaswamy’s turn, he reiterated his strong support for the former president and stressed that he respects Trump “because it’s the right thing to do.”
Despite the efforts of the other Republican candidates during the debate, Trump remains the clear frontrunner, according to the latest polling data
Ramaswamy shook hands with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who remains Trump’s fiercest opponent – albeit by a considerable margin
Christie was seen chatting with Nikki Haley, who herself took a dig at Ramaswamy when she criticized his decision to open a TikTok account
Trump praised the young entrepreneur back in August, calling him “intelligent” and someone with “a lot of talent.”
Christie has taken an opposite view. During an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper in June, the former governor said he was “wrong” about Trump.
“I couldn’t make him a better candidate and I couldn’t make him a better president, and he failed me,” Christie said.
He called election night 2020 “the breaking point.”
Now the man he supported – twice – and advised in the run-up to the 2020 election has become his rival.
Christie took numerous shots at Trump during Wednesday’s debate and even addressed the former president personally.
“I want to look at the camera right now,” he said. “Donald, I know you’re watching. You can’t help yourself. I know you’re watching. OK. And you are not here tonight, not because of the polls and not because of your accusations.
“You’re not here tonight because you’re afraid to stand on stage and defend the record.” They avoid these things. And let me tell you what will happen. You keep doing that. Nobody up here will call you Donald Trump anymore. “We’ll call you Donald Duck.”
The latest nationwide FiveThirtyEight poll shows Ramaswamy leading Christie with 6.3 percent, Christie’s with 2.9 percent. Trump remains leading in the polls with 54 percent.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis trails Trump by a sizable 13.8 percent lead. He has struggled to take on the front-runner without angering a Republican base that reveres the former president.
During Wednesday’s debate, DeSantis sharpened his approach, criticizing Trump in his first response for avoiding confrontation with other candidates and increasing the national debt during his time in office.
Republican strategist John Fehery gave DeSantis “the clear win” for his performance in the debate — “aside from Trump, who stayed away.”