Chris Christie slams Trump, disparages other GOP rivals as he exits presidential race
The GOP presidential field's harshest (and only) Trump critic bows out swinging


Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie suspended his long-shot bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination Wednesday evening, saying he wanted to "make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again," a goal "more important" than his "own personal ambition." Trump's leading critic in the GOP field, Christie had staked his campaign on doing well in New Hampshire's Jan. 23 primary.
Christie's exit was expected to boost former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, whose poll numbers are rising especially in New Hampshire, but he declined to immediately endorse any Republican rival. In fact, he seemed to rule out any such endorsement, telling his New Hampshire supporters that anyone unwilling to say Trump "is unfit to be president of the United States is unfit themselves to be president of the United States."
In what appeared to be a hot-mic moment broadcast on his campaign website shortly before he announced his departure from the race, Christie said Haley is "going to get smoked, and you and I both know it. She's not up to this." Christie also said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called him, "petrified" that he would do something, possibly throw his support to Haley, though the recording ended before he finished the thought.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Christie had suggested he wasn't dropping out of the race as recently as Tuesday, saying he would be "happy to get out of the way for somebody if they actually were going against Donald Trump," but none of them were. In a debate in Iowa on Wednesday night, Haley and DeSantis harshly attacked each other but only intermittently criticized Trump.
Haley commended Christie, "a friend for many years," on his "hard-fought campaign." DeSantis said on X he agreed "with Christie that Nikki Haley is 'going to get smoked,'" while Trump wrote on Truth Social that Christie's assessment of Haley was "a very truthful statement." On MSNBC, poll-crunching political analyst Steve Kornacki dissected whether Haley will inevitably get "smoked" by Trump, and gave a qualified maybe.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The Pentagon's missing missiles
Feature The U.S. military is low on weapons. Can it restock before a major conflict breaks out?
-
Rescissions: Trump's push to control federal spending
Feature The GOP passed a bill to reduce funding for PBS, NPR and other public media stations
-
Knives come out for Pam Bondi
IN THE SPOTLIGHT She wasn't Trump's first pick to lead the Justice Department. After months of scandals and setbacks, is the attorney general's MAGA shelf life winding down?
-
Can Gaza aid drops work?
Today's Big Question UN's Palestinian refugee agency calls plan a 'distraction and smokescreen' as pressure mounts on Israel to agree ceasefire and fully open land crossings
-
'Spending is what card issuers are hoping you will do'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied