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Charles Krupa/AP
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a rally during a town hall-style rally at the University of New England on Thursday, April 20.
CNN
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Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie launched his second presidential campaign on Tuesday with a painful indictment of former President Donald Trump, calling the ally-turned-rival Trump a “lonely, self-consuming bastard.” , and represents a threat to the Republic through the power of personality alone.
At an event at a New Hampshire city hall, Christie, who endorsed Trump after abstaining from the 2016 primary and became a former presidential aide ahead of the 2020 election, said his past endorsements were wrong. urged Republican lawmakers to join Trump. He rejected the Republican front-runner.
“Watch out for the leader of this country. Whoever you took over leadership, who never made a mistake, who never did anything wrong, when something goes wrong there is always someone Someone to blame, and someone who has never lost,” Christie said of Trump.
About half an hour into speaking, Christie made her declaration.
“I can’t guarantee success, but I can guarantee that in the end there will be no doubts in your heart about who I am, what I stand for, and whether I deserve it.” he said. “That’s why I’m back at St. Anselm’s College, that’s why I’m back in Manchester, and that’s why I’m going for the 2024 Republican nomination for President of the United States. That’s why I came back to New Hampshire to tell
Mr. Christie’s announcement comes after he filed it with the Federal Election Commission early Tuesday, a day after fellow moderate New Hampshire Governor Chris Snunu dropped out and former Vice President Mike Pence officially ran for office. It was done after less than 24 hours. As in 2016, Mr. Christie sought to appeal to more traditionally conservative and pro-establishment Republicans, hoping he could become a foil to Mr. Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a rapidly growing field. Are expected.
Those who have already announced their candidacy include former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. Mr. Pence, who has turned in his candidacy papers, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgham are also expected to join the crowd on Wednesday.
As CNN previously reported, Christie believes he is best positioned to challenge Trump in the primary while appealing to independents in a potential general election showdown with President Joe Biden. there is He begins his campaign with the help of a new super PAC called “Tell It Like It Is” formed by allies in anticipation of his campaign.
Mr. Christie’s interest in presidential politics began in 2011, when he considered running for the primary to face then-President Barack Obama a year later. He hesitated, but then saw his own position within the Republican Party slip ahead of 2016. The 2016 campaign was short-lived, with one of his most memorable moments being Christie’s mocking emasculation of Florida Senator Marco Rubio during a debate in February.
After Christie finished sixth in the New Hampshire primary, both sides would eventually drop out and endorse Trump.
But Christie went one step further.
He headed the Trump transition team, but his job was eventually scrapped and Christie himself later became a close adviser to the former president, though he resigned days after the election. He was nominated for a number of administrative posts, but none came to fruition. He also participated in mock debates with Trump in 2020. During one of those sessions, Christie believed he contracted the novel coronavirus from Trump, who did not disclose his positive test results. said that they are
After trying to overturn Trump’s defeat and subsequent 2020 election, Christie turned against Trump and sought to establish himself as one of Trump’s main Republican critics.
“We keep losing and we keep losing,” Mr. Christie told the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership conference late last year. “We are losing because Donald Trump puts himself above everyone else.”
He also said Trump would “blackmail Mike Pence and Congress into doing exactly what Trump said in his own words last week: overturning the election,” January 2021. He also said he “incited” the riots at the Capitol on June 6.
In an interview with Axios earlier this year, he vowed never to support Trump again.
“I can’t help him,” Christie said. “no way.”
Christie was elected governor of New Jersey for the first time in 2009, defeating Democratic incumbent John Corzine. He was easily re-elected in 2013 in a blue state. He was a federal attorney in New Jersey from 2002 to 2008, during which time he successfully prosecuted the father of President Trump’s son-in-law and former aide, Jared Kushner, on tax evasion charges. Witness tampering crime.
Christie himself was embroiled in the “Bridgegate” scandal during his second term as governor. E-mails and text messages from aides said the September 2013 lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, which caused massive traffic jams, were a reflection of the town’s Democratic mayor’s refusal to endorse Governor Christie’s re-election. It all started with political revenge.
A federal investigation found Mr. Christie was unaware of the decision to close the lane, but the former governor’s scandal continued.
This story has been updated to coincide with the announcement of Christie’s campaign.
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