Chris Christie, the former New Jersey Governor and Republican contender for the White House, hit back at former President Trump following inflammatory comments about his poll numbers.
“Everybody remembers that Chris left New Jersey with a less than 9% approval rating,” snarked the former president.
In an interview with Axios, Christie taunted the twice-impeachment president. “When I ran for reelection in 2013, I got 60 percent of the vote. When he ran for reelection, he lost to Joe Biden.”
“I’m happy to stand up that comparison because that’s the one that really matters,” Christie added.
The counterpunch came a few days after the once and maybe future Republican presidential candidate told a Jewish GOP gathering that the party should focus on attacking Biden and not the “grievances of the past.”
That was a not-too-subtle shot at Trump’s Big Lie campaign about the 2020 election.
“I’ve made the conscious decision that I’m going to spend my time pointing to the failures of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and helping Republicans win governorships, the House and Senate in 2022,” Christie said. “This is not an argument that I’ll walk away from.”
The new confrontation comes as Christie works to solidify his status as a leader in the non-Trump wing of the GOP ahead of the midterms and perhaps the 2024 presidential election.
Unlike some other GOP wannabe White House candidates, Christie has pointedly said that he may run even if Trump as expected seeks another presidential term.
Republican critics of Trump are isolated within the party. But some see Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin’s surprising win in a blue-trending state as a blueprint for keeping Trump at arm’s length without angering him or his army of loyal supporters.
