Chris Christie on Trump: “He doesn't care about the American people. he's putting himself first…This next administration of Donald Trump as president will be all about retribution for him personally, is that the show we want to watch?” pic.twitter.com/KbVoBul0SQ
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) April 4, 2024
Chris Christie — and he would probably admit this, cheerfully, on camera — is an attention whore. I’m glad he’s (back to) calling out the man he once hoped would make him vice president; I’m even gladder he turned down No Labels when it might have encouraged those grifters to keep sucking up media attention.
On the other hand, he’s yet to earn a Profiles in Courage award. His apostasy makes a tingle run up the leg of Politico race-horse tout Jonathan Martin, but the answer to the question “Why Hasn’t Biden Called Chris Christie?” is that it’s only April, and that means we’ve got five or six more months of Christie grandstanding to come.
A much better argument, from Tom Moran at the Star-Ledger — “Will Christie vote for Biden? Logic demands it”:
… If you believe, as Christie does, that Trump is an unhinged maniac with a knife at the throat of American democracy, then why not swallow hard and vote for Biden?…
When Christie left the race in January, he vowed that he would never vote for Trump “under any circumstances.” But he added that, “I can’t see myself voting for President Biden, either.”
And so, he joins other refugees from Trump world, like former Vice President Mike Pence, who can’t bring themselves to support Biden. Also in that camp are Sen. Mitt Romney, the GOP’s presidential nominee in 2012, William Barr, the former attorney general, Mark Esper, the former defense secretary, and of course, former Rep. Liz Cheney, the unlikely heroine of this era.
The problem with their middle ground is simple math: If they want to stop Trump, a Biden vote is worth twice as much as a protest vote…
If you put Christie’s statements under a microscope, you can find reasons to hope he will come around and endorse Biden, as former Gov. Christie Whitman did in 2020. He ruled out voting for Trump absolutely; but he stopped shy of that on Biden, saying that he “can’t see” it right now.
Maybe he just needs time to move this decision from his heart to his head.
That, finally, would clear him of culpability in creating this national nightmare. He was, remember, the first major Republican to endorse Trump in 2016. And he stuck with him during the entire first term, even after Trump talked about the “fine people” in the KKK, after he spread his poisonous nonsense during the pandemic, after he blackmailed Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden. He helped Trump prepare for the 2020 debates with Biden.
Christie saw the light on election night, when he declared Biden the legitimate winner on national TV. He broke cleanly from Trump after Jan. 6, and ran for president against Trump with the determination of a kamikaze pilot.
So, his place in the history books is not yet settled. A Biden endorsement just might tip the balance in his favor.
Dear Chris Christie
You made the right move turning down No Labels. You're on roll. Don't stop now. It's time to say his name…. it's Joe Biden. It'll feel great, I promise. Join us. pic.twitter.com/ZCybENduz4— AntifaKate???? (@antifakate) March 29, 2024
Late Night Open Thread: Chris Christie, <em>Again</em>Post + Comments (107)