Let me say this right up front: I am not a fan of Chris Christie. Having lived in New Jersey now for many years, it would be hard to argue that he was not the worst governor in the recent history of the state. And his poll numbers - which I think were in the teens, if not even the low teens - towards the end of his tenure kind of tell the story there. He spent significant amount of time outside of the state, at some points he seemed to spend more time outside of the state that he was the sitting governor of than inside of the state. It seemed clear that he was jockeying for national prominence. So it is not surprising that he made a run for the White House both in 2016 and now again in 2024.
Not surprisingly, his campaign never really caught on. It never heated up at all, let alone caught fire. In fact, if memory serves correctly, he was one of the first to drop out of the race. And he became the first nationally prominent Republican to endorse Trump for the presidency. As the guy in this video says, that is just about unforgivable.
However, at the very least, he tried to amend his mistake. At some point, Christie realized just how bad Trump really was. And to his credit, he became one of the few Republicans who actually was willing to criticize Trump, even to blast him. For that, it seems to me, he deserves some credit. After all, the vast majority of Republicans, including some with very good reason not to like or trust Trump, still appear too scared or dishonest to criticize him. That includes, but is not limited to, people like Ted Cruz, Mitch McConnell, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and many, many others. Indeed, few nationally prominent Republicans ever seem willing to level even a mild criticism of Trump.
By comparison, Christie has been very strong and solid in his consistent criticisms of Trump. He does not beat around the bush, outright blasting Trump's policies and behavior. He pulls no punches, stating outright that Trump is not fit to be the president.
That might seem obvious enough, and Christie is hardly the only person to have made such arguments. What makes him different is, again, he is a Republican. And he is just about the only prominent Republican who is that blatantly, transparently critical of Trump.
Again, that is to his credit. So while I am not about to become a Chris Christie fan, or have come around to admiring the man, or his thinking, or his policies, it nevertheless is impressive that he is the one - and just about the only - Republican to have strongly and loudly blasted Trump and questioned his mental fitness to actually be the president.
Below is a video of Christie taking on Trump supporters, to their faces, at a conservative conference. Trump supporters are clearly vocal, and booing him loudly. Yet Christie - again, to his credit - does not back down, or pretend it's not happening, or walk off the stage in outrage. He challenges them, tells them what they need to hear, that what they are doing is not going to solve a single problem that the country is facing.
Such a scene is a rarity, although it shouldn't be. The distinct feeling that I get is that Trump sickens many, many Republicans privately. But they lack the moral courage to make any kind of a stand. Most likely, it is because they fear that such a stance will compromise their own chances of winning or retaining political office. Few seem to be willing to take a chance. So despite how strongly and frequently I disagree with Christie on probably almost every issue, I was glad to see him taking this strong stance, and doing it in front of Trump fans.
We need more Republicans who actually have the courage and moral fabric to do such things, for the good of the country. It's a shame that such video clips are so infrequent. It would be a better country - and the Republican party would be a more attractive and, frankly, serious party, if there were more people willing to do what Christie is doing here in this particular video, and also did in front of the cameras during the Republican presidential debates. More people need to hear such things, especially those most loyal to Trump.
Take a look at the below video, which features another Republican, actually, leveling criticism at Trump in front of his fans (and receiving boos as a result, just like Christie got). Again, perhaps Trump would not dominate the GOP as much as he does if members of his own party actually showed the courage to be willing to criticize him like this, especially in front of his brainwashed supporters.
Chris Christie DESTROYS Trump Supporters to THEIR FACES during LIVE Speech
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