Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) mentioned there’s a purpose his one-time good friend Donald Trump doubtless received’t be on the stage when Republican presidential hopefuls have their first debate this summer time.
“Clearly, he’s afraid,” Christie instructed conservative talk-show host Hugh Hewitt. “He’s afraid to get on the stage in opposition to people who find themselves severe. And I’m sorry to see that he’s that afraid of it.”
Trump, the previous president and present GOP frontrunner within the polls, final month indicated that he’s unlikely to attend the debates as a result of he’s “main by seemingly insurmountable numbers” and doesn’t need to topic himself to being “libelled and abused.”
Christie mentioned that if Trump’s concepts had been nice, his polling lead would solely improve after a debate. Since he received’t attend, Christie reasoned he have to be afraid a debate might trigger him to lose that lead as an alternative.
“If he’s that afraid of that, how can we rely on him to do any higher with President Xi than the failures he had in his first time period with China? How can we anticipate him to do any higher with Putin than having set the groundwork for the invasion of Ukraine, which his conduct in the direction of Putin definitely helped to ascertain?”
“This can be a man who looks as if he’s afraid,” Christie mentioned. “And if he’s afraid, he has no enterprise being president.”
Christie deserted his personal presidential hopes early within the 2016 marketing campaign and have become one of many first big-name Republicans to endorse Trump.
The 2 had been shut throughout a lot of Trump’s presidency, with Christie getting a Covid-19 an infection whereas serving to the then-president put together for his debates with Joe Biden.
He spent per week within the intensive-care unit.
Christie has since been extra vital of Trump, with the 2 buying and selling barbs in latest months ― a development that continued throughout his interview with Hewitt.
Trump, Christie mentioned, doesn’t need to debate as a result of “he doesn’t have a whole lot of severe solutions for the issues which might be dealing with the nation proper now.”
“All he needs to do is return and re-prosecute the 2020 election as a result of his emotions are damage,” Christie added. “He’s a baby in that regard.”
Christie mentioned he was contemplating his personal 2024 presidential run and would have a choice inside two weeks.