Republican presidential candidates Asa Hutchinson and Chris Christie both got booed at the GOP summit in Florida on Saturday.
Both men are vocal critics of former President Donald Trump.
The crowd’s reaction showed many voters support Trump, the front-runner for the Republican 2024 nomination.
Hutchinson was booed after he stated that he believes that there is a “significant likelihood” of Trump being “found guilty by a jury on a felony offense next year.”
He continued, “That may or may not happen before you vote in March. And it might not make any difference to you. But it will make a difference for our chances to attract independent voters in November.”
The audience did not agree with Hutchinson’s statements, some even saying, “Go home.”
This did not discourage Hutchinson. “As a party, we must support the rule of law,” he added. “We cannot win as a country without the integrity of the White House. And while some will ignore the destructive behavior of the former president, I assure you we ignore it at our own peril.”
Christie reprimanded the crowd for their actions by telling them that their “anger against the truth is reprehensible.”
He added, “The problem is you fear the truth. The problem is you want to shout down any voice that says anything different than what you want to hear. What a shock, you’re for Trump. I’m going to fall over dead.”
Christie was interrupted several times by the audience members who yelled “traitor” and “loser.”
He continued to respond by scolding the audience, “Every one of those boos, every one of those cat calls, and every one of those yells, will not solve one problem we face in this country and will not make this country.”
The former governor of New Jersey did receive cheers when speaking about Israel and Ukraine. He told the audience that Israel is “what we should spend our time talking about” and that the U.S. must defeat Russia.
This is not the first time Christie has been booed, in multiple GOP candidate events, he received the same treatment.
Christie recently called Trump a “coward hiding behind his failed social media site” for his refusal to attend the GOP debates.
