Chris Christie rips on Donald Trump during CNN town hall event
New York, New York - Former Governor Chris Christie did a recent CNN town hall where he spent most of the event ripping on Donald Trump.
On Monday evening, Christie sat down with host Anderson Cooper to discuss his campaign efforts, but instead of pleading his case on why voters should support him, Christie mainly spoke on why no one should support Trump.
"[Trump] has shown himself, particularly in his post-presidency, to be completely self-centered, completely self-consumed, and doesn't give a damn about the American people, in my point of view," Christie said.
He went on to call Trump a "loser," a "baby," and compared Trump's reaction to losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden to that of a child getting a bad grade in school.
On Trump's recent indictment in the classified documents case, Christie, a former prosecutor, described the allegations as "inexcusable" and criticized his fellow Republicans' attempts to defend Trump. He pointed out that Trump had numerous opportunities to give the documents back to avoid legal issues, but says at this point, Trump is "voluntarily putting our country through this."
Christie went on to warn viewers that if Trump is successfully reelected to the White House, he will use his power to focus on "settling scores" with his political enemies.
Is Chris Christie struggling to connect with Republican voters?
For a Republican candidate, criticizing Trump has become fairly taboo as much of the party's base, even those interested in other candidates for 2024, still support him in some capacity.
Though Christie's anti-Trump sentiments may resonate with some, he still remains around 1% in most election polls, and his attacks on the former President probably won't help him gain any support in his own party.
It may help in primary debates where he will take the stage with Trump, as Christie has demonstrated that he can not only take Trump's ruthless attacks, which the Republican base mostly seems to vibe with, but he can also dish it back out as well.
Many social media users after the town hall were quick to point out that Christie served as a close ally before and during Trump's presidency and even served as the head of Trump's transition planning team. Though the presidency was riddled with scandals, controversies, and disinformation, Christie remained loyal, only turning on him after the January 6 Capitol riots.
With Republican primaries heating up and debates on the way, it will be interesting to see how well Christie's attacks on Trump fair with voters in the end.
Cover photo: Collage: Brendan Smialowski / AFP & Joseph Prezioso / AFP