Christie says DeSantis, Haley both qualified to be president

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said primary rivals Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are qualified to be president, but former President Trump is “unfit” to hold the highest office.

Christie, the former governor of New Jersey and an outspoken Trump critic, made the comment during a Thursday appearance on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show.

When asked by Hewitt if he would vote for Trump if the former president was not convicted on the 91 charges he faces, Christie doubled down on the position he’s maintained all year, saying the former president is “unfit to be president.”

“And if you’re unsure about that, all you have to do is listen to his interviews with you. And his interviews with you tell me that he is completely unfit to be president of the United States,” Christie added.

Hewitt then asked if Christie thought DeSantis and Haley were fit to hold the office, to which Christie said “yes” and that he would “absolutely” support either of them as the nominee.

Christie has made his opposition to Trump a central point of his presidential campaign, which has struggled to gain traction.

Just last week, Christie declared that Trump will “burn America to the ground,” in a new ad that is part of a seven-figure push across digital and broadcast platforms in New Hampshire. 

The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s polling index shows Christie with just 3.3 percent support nationally, while Trump maintains a significant lead at 64.1 percent. Haley is sitting at 11.3 percent nationally, while DeSantis has 11 percent support.

Despite showing willingness to support DeSantis and Haley if they eventually clinch become the GOP nominee, Christie has sparred with DeSantis during debates and Wednesday criticized Haley, saying on “The View” that she “knew exactly what she was doing” when she did not mention slavery as a cause of the Civil War during a town hall last week.

Haley’s remarks ignited widespread criticism from both Democrats and her GOP primary foes.  

Christie said he was confident that Haley “was not a racist” but suggested that she was “trying to be something [she’s] not.”