Former President Donald Trump criticized former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, declaring him "not fit to run for president" in response to Christie's robust showing in Wednesday's Republican primary debate.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated, "Sloppy Chris Christie is not fit to run for President. He is suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome. According to all, he came in LAST in the debate, and I came in FIRST, as I have in all of the debates, without even being there. MAGA!" reported The Hill.
Republican donors, strategists, and pundits are expressing the desire for Christie drop out and endorse Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, who has seen a surge in the polls within early-voting states in recent weeks, as reported by The New York Times.
During the debate, Christie engaged in a heated exchange with rival candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over Trump. Christie criticized Trump, stating, "This is an angry, bitter man who now wants to be back as president because he wants to exact retribution on anyone who has disagreed with him, anyone who's tried to hold him to account for his own conduct, and every one of these policies that he's talking about are about pursuing a plan of retribution."
Trump's recent attack on Christie is not his first. In September, Trump referred to him as a "bum" on Truth Social after Christie heavily criticized him in a GOP primary debate.
Trump asserted, "Chris Christie is talking about the job he did as Governor. He had a 9% approval rating. N.J. wanted to throw the 'bum' out."