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“How many different ways are you going to ask the same question, Mark?” Chris Christie inquired. We were seated in the elegant dining room of the Hay-Adams hotel, a luxurious five-star establishment. Christie’s sudden outburst caught me off guard, as I had only asked him a few mild questions so far, most of which related to Donald Trump, the potential rival he might face in the presidential race. Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, was in Washington as part of his recent tour deliberating whether or not to launch another campaign.
I must admit, I’m skeptical. It’s unclear why Christie believes the Republican Party will somehow revert to its pre-Trump state. Additionally, it’s uncertain whether his campaign would fare any better than his previous attempt seven years ago, where he failed to win any delegates and dropped out of the Republican primary after finishing sixth in New Hampshire.
However, I am also vaguely intrigued, more so than I am about former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. If Christie were to run again in 2024, he could serve a compelling purpose: The bold and confrontational New Jersey native would be better suited to challenge Trump than potential rivals Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, and Nikki Haley, who have thus far offered only weak criticisms. Over the past few months, Christie has been one of the most vocal critics of Trump. Notably, he became the first potential Republican candidate for 2024 to publicly declare that he would not vote for Trump again in a general election.
Christie may not be the ideal candidate, but he appears genuinely intent on shedding his submissive image and finally confronting his former benefactor and occasional friend head-on. This is why I found myself having breakfast with Christie earlier this week, eager to hear if he truly planned on challenging Trump and how far he was willing to go. Strangely, he seemed more interested in arguing with me.
It was an unusual breakfast. Shortly after 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Christie walked into the ornate dining room of the Hay-Adams hotel, accompanied by his longtime aide Maria Comella. We took our seats near a window with a view of the White House across Lafayette Square, and just 100 feet away from St. John’s Episcopal Church, where Trump infamously posed with a Bible several years ago.
I began by asking Christie about his statement that he would not vote for Trump, even if he were the Republican nominee. “I believe Trump has disqualified himself from the presidency,” Christie stated.
So what would Christie do then? Would he vote for Joe Biden? Not a chance. “The guy is physically and mentally unfit for the job,” Christie proclaimed.
Just to clarify, I inquired if he believed that the current situation under Biden’s presidency was just as bad as what a second Trump term would entail. “Elections are about choices,” Christie replied, as he often does. So who would he choose in November 2024, if faced with an unfavorable choice? “I would probably just abstain from voting,” he said.
An interesting choice indeed! It’s rare to hear a politician admit they plan on not voting, but it’s certainly preferable to the evasive answers we often hear.
I pressed further, curious to see how committed Christie truly was to his recent shift away from Trump. Would he still support Trump if he secured the nomination and other prominent Republicans fell back in line?
We were only seven minutes into our conversation when Christie seemed to be irritated by my skepticism. His frustration seemed a bit performative, almost as if he were amplifying his tough Jersey persona.
“I’m not going to get caught up in this, Mark,” Christie replied. “You guys drive me crazy. All you want to talk about is Trump. I’m sorry, but I don’t think he’s the only topic to discuss in politics. I don’t want to spend our time together this morning just talking about Trump from different angles.”
To change the subject, I brought up DeSantis, hoping to ease the tension. Christie had made a convincing argument that DeSantis had been a disastrous candidate thus far, particularly in his feud with Disney. But would Christie support DeSantis if he somehow managed to defeat Trump and become the nominee?
“I have to see how he performs as a candidate,” Christie replied. “I don’t really know Ron DeSantis that well… I will be a discerning voter,” he added. “I will observe everyone’s actions and make my decision on who to vote for.” (Reminder: that excludes Trump and Biden.)
I had a few more follow-up questions, but before I could ask them, Christie interrupted, exasperated that we were back to discussing Trump again.
Trump has been the defining figure in the Republican Party for the past several years, and will likely continue to be so in the foreseeable future. Christie’s history with Trump, especially from 2016 to 2021, is what set him apart from others like Hutchinson.
This is when Christie expressed his frustration with my repeated questions. Look, I argued, if you believe in the polls, at least 40 to 50 percent of the GOP is still firmly supportive of Trump.
Christie challenged my premise, stating that poll numbers and statistics are merely snapshots in time and not static.
“It has been true for about seven years,” I replied. “That seems pretty static to me.”
“He had approval ratings as high as 85 to 90 percent,” Christie countered, referring to Trump’s approval among Republicans in the past. While there may be variations, Christie argued that those approval ratings would be much lower now. He then accused me of being “obsessed” with Trump.
By this point, Christie’s voice had noticeably risen, causing me to become self-conscious about potentially disturbing other diners in the elegant dining room. A waiter came over and asked if we wanted any food. Christie declined, still sipping his tea, while I ordered a Diet Coke and a bowl of mixed berries. “What a fascinating combination,” Christie remarked.
I expressed my hope that Christie would indeed run for president, as he would be better equipped to confront his opponents than the more timid candidates in the field. It would have been ideal if Christie had taken a stronger stance against the frontrunner seven years ago, instead of stepping back, dropping out, and then rallying behind Trump. However, Christie assured me that he had grown and learned since then.
“I definitely won’t do the same thing in 2024 that I did in 2016,” Christie asserted. “You can count on that.”
“Well, I would hope not,” I replied. This seemed to reignite his frustration.
“What do you mean, ‘I hope’?” Christie retorted. He took offense at my questioning of his sincerity in opposing Trump. “How about paying attention to everything I’ve said over the past eight weeks?”
I informed him that I had indeed paid attention to his statements about Trump over the past eight years. Christie nodded, accepting that I may have had a point and that some skepticism was warranted.
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