Chris Christie throws in the towel. The only candidate in the Republican primary to openly criticize Donald Trump announced on Wednesday evening, January 10: “ [suspendre sa] Campaign for President of the United States,” a few days before the Iowa caucuses, which open the ball in a race extremely dominated by the former president.
“It is certain tonight that there is no way for me to win the Republican Party's nomination for the White House,” Mr. Christie realistically told his supporters in Windham, New Hampshire.
The 61-year-old, a former governor of New Jersey, was once a supporter of Donald Trump but has since portrayed the billionaire as self-centered and dishonest. “I would like to avoid someone who is actually running against Donald Trump,” he said Wednesday.
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Donald Trump declines the debate on Wednesday
Chris Christie was so far down in the polls that he didn't meet the party's criteria to take part in the debate scheduled for Wednesday night, where two Republican candidates will finally try to present themselves as the best alternative to the big favorite Donald Trump for the American presidential election.
Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, who are well ahead of the billionaire in the polls for the Republican nomination, are playing a game of double-or-nothing in this final televised debate before Iowa voters go to polls on Jan. 15. A good election result on Monday in this small state with a lot at stake would serve as a springboard for them to hope to catch up with Donald Trump and defy the predictions.
For his part, the former president once again chose to decline the debate, believing his lead was too large and that he had nothing to gain by exposing himself to a potentially fierce fire of criticism.
Two other candidates are participating in the Republican primary but are ineligible for Wednesday's debate: former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and wealthy biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
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