On Thursday, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie(R) called out former President Donald Trump in particularly harsh terms.
“Stop hiding behind your… failed social media site,” he told CNN.
The second debate will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California on Wednesday. As Christie and the other 2024 Republican presidential candidates prepare, Trump has made it clear he will not attend the second debate, as he didn’t with the first.
In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Christie stated that Trump needs to stop being a coward and show up to the debates if he has anything to say.
These remarks came shortly after Trump blasted Christie as a “grifter” on Truth Social. Trump trolled Christie over the “beachgate” scandal, where images of a relaxed Christie on the beach in 2017, while beaches were legally closed due to state government shutdown.
Launched on February 21, 2022, Truth Social is a social media platform created by Trump Media & Technology Group similar to X, formerly Twitter. Trump has lost $700 million on Truth Social, which promised 81 million users by 2026 and currently stands at five million.
Christie told Blitzer, “If he had any guts, he’d get on the debate stage.”
Christie pointed out recent polls from New Hampshire that move him ahead of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Florida) in the GOP race.
“[Trump] has stopped attacking Ron DeSantis and he started attacking me,” Christie said. “He doesn’t like it when he’s taken out directly and he’s confronted. I’m the only one on that stage who is unwilling to raise my hand — beside [former Arkansas Gov.] Asa Hutchinson — and say I wouldn’t support a convicted felon for president of the United States.”
