Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie dropped his Republican presidential bid on Wednesday night, but before he made his announcement, a microphone picked up disparaging comments he made about his GOP rivals.
During the apparent hot mic moment, Christie could be heard saying Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had called him. According to Christie, DeSantis was "petrified." The Associated Press said Christie could have been saying DeSantis was worried he would endorse former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
About Haley, Christie said she is "going to get smoked," and that "she's not up to this."
Newsweek reached out to Christie's campaign via email on Wednesday night for comment.
Christie, 61, was perhaps the most vocal critic of former President Donald Trump in the race for the GOP nomination. He not only said Trump would lose if he were in a rematch against President Joe Biden, but he also warned the former president could be behind bars come Election Day due to the criminal charges he's currently facing.
Before he announced the end of his presidential run at a town hall in Windham, New Hampshire, Christie had fallen well behind the other contenders in the polls, though, while Haley has been seemingly gaining momentum among Republican voters. However, Trump remains the clear frontrunner in his party.
Chris Christie is caught on a hot mic ahead of his expected announcement that he's dropping out of the presidential race:
— The Recount (@therecount) January 10, 2024
He says Nikki Haley is "gonna get smoked" and a "petrified" Ron DeSantis called him. pic.twitter.com/fGOFEtVDHn
Christie has not endorsed another candidate as of press time, but his announcement in Windham indicated he will not encourage his supporters to vote for Trump.
"My goal has never been to be just a voice against the hate and division and the selfishness of what our party has become under Donald Trump," Christie said.
He added: "I've always said that if there came a point in time in this race where I couldn't see a path to accomplishing that goal, that I would get out. And it's clear to be tonight that there isn't a path for me to win the nomination, which is why I'm suspending my campaign tonight for president of the United States."
Mary Trump, the former president's estranged niece, suggested in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Christie endorse Biden.
Meanwhile, Jen Psaki—a former White House press secretary under Biden and current MSNBC show host—wrote a message on X that offered a sympathetic view of the former governor's campaign.
You can dislike Chris Christie and disagree with him on issues, but he played a pretty important real talk role in this race. Absence on debate stage(s) will definitely be noticeable, but just as a voice calling out Trump in the primary.
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) January 10, 2024
"You can dislike Chris Christie and disagree with him on issues, but he played a pretty important real talk role in this race," Psaki wrote. "Absence on debate stage(s) will definitely be noticeable, but just as a voice calling out Trump in the primary."
Update 01/10/24 6:30 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include more background information and quotes from Christie's town hall speech.
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Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
