Chris Christie dramatically announced on Wednesday that he was dropping out of the 2024 Republican presidential race, issuing a furious denigration of Donald Trump and telling his supporters he was determined to keep his former ally out of the White House.
“It is clear to me tonight that there is no path for me and myself to win the nomination, which is why I am suspending my campaign for President of the United States tonight,” Christie told supporters in Windham, New Hampshire.
It's a stunning development that could be a major boost for Nikki Haley, with many of Christie's voters now expected to support her.
But in his lengthy remarks, Christie did not express anything close to support for any of Trump's remaining challengers. Instead, he criticized unnamed rivals for their ambition and “cowardice” in their unwillingness to take direct action against the front-runner. And he specifically referred to Haley as one of those who would not stand up to Trump. (She has said Trump would bring “chaos” if re-elected, but hasn't ruled out running as his running mate if asked).
He criticized the “smallness of campaigns that spend more time arguing and worrying about who should drop out of the race than they have spent chasing the front-runner.”
Christie ran a campaign that he said was not “playing to win.” It is a campaign that aims not to offend.”
Chris Christie spoke to supporters at a town hall in Windham, New Hampshire, after it was reported that he would drop out of the GOP primary
He said the nation's problems “cannot be solved by people who are too afraid to talk about the real problems.”
In one of his most profound attacks, he said Trump, a former New Yorker, would not have acted in the nation's interest if he had been in the Oval Office on 9/11.
“The first thing he would have done was run to the bunker to protect himself,” Christie said.
“Anyone who doesn’t want to say they’re unfit to be president of the United States is themselves unfit to be president of the United States,” he said.
It came just moments after he was caught on a hot mic saying Haley was “going to get smoked” and was “not up to it.”
He blamed his rivals for failing to take on Trump.
Christie's denigration of Trump and his rivals was broadcast on cable television, although Fox and CNN each cut off before he finished
Christie made the comments at a planned town hall meeting, pledging to ensure that Trump never returns to the White House
Christie criticized his Republican colleagues for being unwilling to take direct action against Trump
“If Donald Trump becomes this party's nominee, it happened in August when Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, Mike Pence, Doug Burgum and Vivek Ramaswamy were on stage in Milwaukee and we were asked if we would do that. “If you support someone who was a convicted felon, you will be president of the United States,” he said.
The former governor of New Jersey did not let senior Republicans in Congress spare his criticism. He mentioned Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso and Republican House Speaker Tom Emmer, both of whom supported Trump.
“You know better. I know they know better.' He went after “people who continue to deny the results of the 2020 election” and “people in leadership positions in the House who are on television saying that the people who attacked the Capitol on January 6th are hostages.”
That was a reference to Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a former Trump critic, who used the term “hostage,” in reference to Trump, to describe the Jan. 6 defendants.
“I'll tell you who the hostages are.” “The Israelis who are still being hidden in tunnels in Gaza against their will and through no fault of their own,” he said.
“President Trump has already defeated eight challengers before a single vote has been cast because Republican voters want a strong leader who will restart our economy, secure our border, restore America to energy independence and protect our families,” said Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman by Make America Great Again Inc.
Haley's campaign released a statement in which she spoke of their friendship and how Trump did not directly address his criticism.
“Chris Christie has been a friend for many years. I commend him for a hard-fought election campaign. Voters have a clear choice in this election: the chaos and drama of the past or a new generation of conservative leadership. “I will fight to win every vote so that together we can build a strong and proud America,” she said.
Christie based his campaign on being Trump's most vocal and aggressive opponent. But he was weak in the polls and came under increasing pressure to back off and give Haley, who has been gaining momentum, a better opportunity to catch up with Trump.
According to Bloomberg and journalist Mark Halperin, the former New Jersey governor will end his campaign before Iowa becomes the first state to vote on Monday. He is pictured campaigning in New Hampshire with his wife Mary
Average polls put Christie in fifth place in Iowa with 3 percent support.
He had staked almost his entire campaign on success in New Hampshire, the second state to vote on Jan. 23. According to polls, he was in third place there with 12 percent.
His shocking decision to withdraw came just a day after he rejected the idea that ending his presidential bid would help Haley defeat Trump.
On Tuesday at a barbecue restaurant in New Hampshire, he said: “I would like to avoid someone who is actually running against Donald Trump.” Why do we think she (Haley) would beat him? She doesn't try to hit him.'
He noted her support for a pardon for Trump if one of his criminal cases ends in a conviction, and her refusal to rule out running for Trump's vice presidency when asked.
“Let’s say I’ve dropped out of the race now and endorsed Nikki Haley,” Christie said Tuesday.
“And then in three months, in four months, when you're ready to go to Congress, she'll emerge as his running mate. How will I look? What will all the people who supported her at my request look like?'
It's a stunning development that could be a major boost for Nikki Haley, with many of Christie's voters now expected to support her
Christie's retirement could benefit Nikki Haley
Christie was the candidate most critical of Trump
Christie on the debate stage with his rivals
Christie recently made an appearance on The View
At a town hall meeting in New Hampshire on Tuesday, one of Christie's voters suggested he should consider leaving.
Greg Leach, 49, of Dover, told Christie that he wants his vote to count and asked him about the need to unite around an anti-Trump candidate.
“I really want to vote for Christie, but strategically at this point I feel like Nikki Haley is the way to go,” he said.
Leach said he was interested in seeing what happens in Iowa but wondered if Christie should get out sooner rather than later.
“I don’t want it to be too late and Trump to end up winning because people waited too long,” he said.
Christie had claimed he would stay in the race as long as he saw a path to the nomination.
He had also said he would not make a politically based endorsement, as he did eight years ago when he supported Trump.
“I won’t make the same mistake again,” he said. “That doesn't work.”
On Tuesday, a spokesman for Haley's political action committee said: “It's time for voters to tell Christie what we all know, which is that his campaign is not stopping anyone and, frankly, is helping Trump, whom he proudly supported in 2016 and reportedly opposes.” “in 2024.”
However, recent poll numbers signaled that Christie could be influential in his crusade against Trump after supporting his former rival in 2016.
In the most recent CNN/University of New Hampshire poll, Trump was leading at 39 percent, while Hailing was just 7 percentage points behind at 32 percent.
Christie had 12 points. But if most of his supporters went to Haley, it could be a way for them to surpass Trump in the nation's first primary.
Christie's planned announcement came after a pro-Trump super PAC began blasting Haley with a new ad on immigration, a response that responded to her surge in poll numbers.