Chris Christie, who helped Trump prepare for debate, said he was 'too hot'


Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) helped President Trump prepare for Tuesday night's debate against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, and while he was quick to pan Biden's performance, Christie didn't have a lot of praise for Trump either.
Trump spent much of the debate interrupting and talking over both Biden and moderator Chris Wallace, and when ABC News' George Stephanopoulos asked Christie if this was the debate they prepared for, Christie responded, "No." He called Biden "very shaky" and said he wasn't "reassuring," but Trump was "too hot. You come in and decide you want to be aggressive and I think it was the right thing to be aggressive, but that was too hot. I think that what happens is with all that heat, you lose the light."
On CNN, Rick Santorum, the former Republican senator from Pennsylvania, was asked by Anderson Cooper if he was "proud of the president tonight." Looking slightly terrified, Santorum said, "I thought the president was going to come out hot, and as I predicted, he came out hot." Santorum laughed a little after he said this, and Cooper responded, "It's not even funny. Are you actually proud of the president of the United States?" Santorum replied, "I think the president overplayed his hand tonight."
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.
Meanwhile, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who is contractually obligated to praise Trump, tweeted that he "made a confident, commanding, and compelling case for his re-election," adding that the choice between Trump's "47 months of delivering real results versus Biden's 47 years as a failed, career politician has never been clearer."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Will 2027 be the year of the AI apocalypse?
A 'scary and vivid' new forecast predicts that artificial superintelligence is on the horizon A 'scary and vivid' new forecast predicts that artificial superintelligence is on the horizon
-
Crossword: June 15, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Sudoku medium: June 15, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefs
Speed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program
-
Israel deports Thunberg after seizing Gaza aid boat
speed read The Swedish activist was delivering food and medical aid to Palestine, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis there
-
Colombian senator shot on streets of Bogotá
speed read Miguel Uribe Turbay, who has announced his candidacy for next year's presidential election, was shot at a rally
-
Trump says Putin vowed retaliation for Kyiv strike
speed read The Russian president intends to respond to Ukraine's weekend drone strikes on Moscow's warplanes
-
Dutch government falls over immigration policy
speed read The government collapsed after anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders quit the right-wing coalition
-
South Korea elects liberal Lee as president
speed read Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, was elected president following months of political instability in the wake of Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment
-
Nationalist wins tight Polish presidential election
speed read Karol Nawrocki beat Rafal Trzaskowski in Poland's presidential runoff election
-
Ukraine hits Russia's bomber fleet in stealth drone attack
speed read The operation, which destroyed dozens of warplanes, is the 'biggest blow of the war against Moscow's long-range bomber fleet'