Chris Christie calls out Trump for premature victory claim: 'He has undercut his own credibility'
Chris Christie isn't happy with President Trump's premature claim of victory in the 2020 election.
The former New Jersey governor on Wednesday criticized Trump after he prematurely claimed victory in the presidential race while baselessly alleging a "major fraud on our nation" as votes in key states continued to be counted and no candidate had collected 270 electoral votes.
"There's just no basis to make that argument tonight," Christie told ABC News. "There just isn't. All these votes have to be counted that are in now."
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 went on to say that "I disagree with what" Trump did, adding that the president must "let the process play itself out" before claiming it to be "flawed" as he did in his speech.
"I think by prematurely doing this, if there is a flaw in it later, he has undercut his own credibility in calling attention to that flaw," Christie said. "So I think it's a bad strategic decision, it's a bad political decision, and it's not the kind of decision you would expect someone to make tonight who holds the position he holds."
Christie, who recently helped Trump with 2020 debate prep, was among the Republicans calling out Trump's premature victory speech. Former Republican Senator Rick Santorum said he was "distressed" by Trump's remarks, while former National Security Adviser John Bolton said the comments were a "disgrace" and "some of the most irresponsible comments that a president of the United States has ever made." Brendan Morrow
-
Political cartoons for February 14Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include a Valentine's grift, Hillary on the hook, and more
-
Tourangelle-style pork with prunes recipeThe Week Recommends This traditional, rustic dish is a French classic
-
The Epstein files: glimpses of a deeply disturbing worldIn the Spotlight Trove of released documents paint a picture of depravity and privilege in which men hold the cards, and women are powerless or peripheral
-
Key Bangladesh election returns old guard to powerSpeed Read The Bangladesh Nationalist Party claimed a decisive victory
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
EU and India clinch trade pact amid US tariff warSpeed Read The agreement will slash tariffs on most goods over the next decade
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
