Chris Christie: ‘I just can’t’ back Trump for president again

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said he “just can’t” support former President Trump for the presidency again even if Trump wins the Republican nomination. 

Christie told Axios that he could not see himself voting for President Biden in 2024 either, saying that Biden and Trump are both “too old” and “out of touch with what’s going on in the world right now.” 

Christie was formerly an ally of Trump and helped him prepare for his debates with Biden during the 2020 presidential election. But Christie has distanced himself from the former president since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, criticizing his role in the day’s events and his leadership broadly since then. 

“I can’t help him. No way,” Christie said, when asked if he would back his former ally in 2024. 

“Look, I just can’t. When you have the Jan. 6 choir at a rally and you show video of it — I just don’t think that person is appropriate for the presidency,” he continued, referring to a rally Trump held in Waco, Texas, on Saturday in which he featured a song that jailed Jan. 6 rioters created. 

Christie said he expected Trump to become the Republican nominee in 2016 and did not want the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, to become president, which led Christie to support Trump. 

“Did I have concerns about him? Of course, but you probably have concerns about any candidate other than yourself in the end,” he said. 

Christie, who initially ran in the 2016 GOP primaries before dropping out and endorsing Trump, has said he is considering another presidential run. He said Sunday that he would decide in the “next 60 days.” 

Christie’s declaration that he cannot support Trump for president could create an obstacle for his own presidential ambitions, though. 

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said last month that she expects Republican candidates will be asked to sign a pledge to back the eventual GOP nominee to be allowed to participate in Republican debates. 

Christie emphasized during a town hall at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire on Monday that any successful Republican challenger to Trump need to have the “skill” to debate him. 

“I’m going to go out there and tell the truth. Like the truth matters. The truth is not negotiable,” he told Axios. 

Hypothetical Republican polling has shown Trump leading in most polls ahead of current and potential opponents.