The nation's newspapers alike are lambasting New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's decision to endorse Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, including
The New York Times, which in an editorial Saturday called the brash pairing a "bromance" that will cement Christie's reputation as a "venal vindictive, political bully."
"Once upon a time, the governor put his state first, for good and ill," The Times said in its editorial. "Today, he is driven by twin demons: national political ambition and vengefulness. By cozying up to Mr. Trump, he feeds both."
Trump's main rival is Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whose attack ads helped stop Christie's campaign, and The Times said he's acting out of vengefulness to get back at Rubio.
"If Mr. Trump should win the presidency, he might want to consider Mr. Christie for transportation secretary, since he already knows so much about traffic patterns on commuter bridges," The Times wrote.
The
New York Daily News, meanwhile, lambasted Christie on its cover, calling him a "Man with a Klan" and picturing him with hooded Ku Klux Klan members, as his endorsement came just days after former KKK leader
David Duke said that voting against Trump is "treason to your heritage."
In his home state, the
Asbury Park Press ridiculed Christie for turning to Trump rather than his own business as governor.
"Christie came home just long enough to fire off a budget plan that didn’t seem especially well thought out; he couldn’t even bother to include a proposal to address the state’s transportation funding shortage," said the newspaper. Further, it said that Christie has promised to help Trump "in every way that I can."
"That doesn’t sound like a man focused on tackling New Jersey’s problems," said the editorial. "That sounds like someone being fitted for a collar and leash."
Jennifer Rubin, who writes The Washington Post's conservative
Right Turn blog, said she is shocked that Christie, who purported to be a serious politician, "would embrace a know-nothing buffoon like Donald Trump."
"It is deeply sad he would then sweep away months of high-minded speeches to enable a man he knows to be unfit for the presidency to attain that office at a time of such urgency," Rubin writes. "One hopes that with this irresponsible, soulless act, Christie’s career comes to an end. He may well go down in history as the Republican most responsible for undercutting serious Republican presidential candidates and helping to elect Democrats whose policies endanger U.S. national security. Shame on him."
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