Christie on hot mic says Haley’s ‘gonna get smoked’

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was heard on a hot mic predicting that Nikki Haley is “gonna get smoked” in the race against Donald Trump, shortly before Christie bowed out of the contest in a move widely seen as boosting Haley’s campaign.

The hot mic comment from Christie was quickly touted by Trump, the clear GOP frontrunner, as well as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Each have battled to blunt Haley’s momentum in the race before the Iowa caucuses on Monday and the New Hampshire primary later this month.

“I mean look, she’s spent like $68 million so far, just on TV — spent $68 million so far — $59 million by DeSantis, and we spent $12 [million]. I mean, who’s punching above their weight and who’s getting a return on their investment, you know?” Christie was heard saying in the audio. “And she’s gonna get smoked. And you and I both know it. She’s not up to this.”

It was unclear who Christie was speaking with, but the remarks were heard on a live stream posted by the former New Jersey governor’s campaign shortly before he announced on stage in New Hampshire that he was suspending his presidential bid.

Christie could also be heard on the live stream saying that DeSantis “called me petrified” before the audio later cut out.

The Hill has reached out to Christie’s and Haley’s campaigns for comment.

“I agree with Christie that Nikki Haley is ‘going to get smoked,’” DeSantis posted on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the hot mic comments emerged.

Trump also touted Christie’s comments about Haley, calling it a “very truthful statement” in a post on his social media platform.

Christie further criticized Haley during a call with DeSantis earlier Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the conversation.

The source said DeSantis noted during the call that he appreciated Christie’s role in the race irrespective of whatever the former New Jersey governor chose to do with his campaign. The conversation was first reported by NBC News.

Moments after the hot mic comments emerged, Christie appeared on stage in Windham, N.H., where he informed his supporters he was suspending his campaign.

During his comments, which were carried live by cable outlets, Christie urged GOP rivals still in the race to more forcefully call out Trump, who he vowed to continue to work to defeat.

“I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again,” Christie said, adding “we have to decide now, we have to decide in the next 10 months who we want to be as a country.”

The former GOP governor faced increasing pressure to exit the race in an effort for Republicans to rapidly coalesce around a Trump alternative in the primary. Though Christie ended his bid, he did not offer an endorsement for either Haley or DeSantis.

Christie trailed Trump and Haley in New Hampshire — a state his campaign largely focused on during his bid — and his exit is seen as delivering a boost to Haley in the Granite State. Polls have indicated she faces an uphill climb against Trump in the state, despite it being closer than other early-state contests.

The shakeup in the Republican primary came hours before Haley and DeSantis were set to square off in a debate hosted by CNN. Trump has planned to appear in his own town hall on Fox News.

Haley praised Christie for running “a hard-fought campaign” in a statement Wednesday night that did not address his hot mic remarks.

“Chris Christie has been a friend for many years,” she said.

“Voters have a clear choice in this election: the chaos and drama of the past or a new generation of conservative leadership,” Haley added. “I will fight to earn every vote, so together we can build a strong and proud America.”

Updated: 7:17 p.m.