On Thursday, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) called out current and potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates for being too scared to criticize former President Donald Trump.
During a town hall at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, Christie said about Trump that “it’s like he’s Voldemort.” This was a reference to the Harry Potter franchise, where the villain was so greatly feared that nobody would even mention his name. He proceeded to state that it was not possible to “beat someone by closing your eyes, clicking your heels together three times, and saying ‘there’s no place like home.’”
Christie, who was once a Trump ally, is now considering placing his own bid for the White House in 2024. He has also been trying to set himself apart from the crowd of other GOP candidates by criticizing and often attacking the former President. At Thursday’s event, Christie noted that Trump had failed to fulfill many of the promises he made in 2015 and 2016. He added that he had “failed us as a president.”
He continued on to accuse Trump of undermining “our democracy” only because he was “pissed” and “angry” that he was not reelected.
Most other GOP candidates have avoided making any jabs at the former President, as they are afraid that the GOP base and his supporters might be deterred from supporting them. However, Christie argued that he did not “believe that Republican voters penalize people who criticize Trump,” and that if one believes that they are a better option for the White House than Trump, then one needs to “make that case.”
