Former governor of New Jersey Chris Christie said he will not support former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Presidential Election if he secures the Republican nomination.
Appearing on Fox News with host Lawrence Jones, Christie said the former president needs to “work” for the Republican nomination.
Christie, who is also seeking the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, detailed his former roles in the Trump administration, including chairing Trump’s transition planning team and opioid and drug abuse commission, along with assisting the former president during his debates in 2016 and 2020.
“I did everything I could to try to make him a better president,” the former New Jersey governor said. “But my view is he’s let us down.”
Christie continued detailing shortcomings of the Trump administration, including failure to complete construction on the southern border wall, and failure to repeal and replace Obamacare, along with failure to balance the federal budget.
The former New Jersey governor continued criticizing the former president’s suggestion he may not attend Republican primary debates saying, “Donald Trump should be on that stage too.”
“If you want the Republican nomination, the Republican voters have the right to see us right in those cameras,” he said. “Have us compare and then let them choose.”
When Jones asked Christie if he would take a position in Trump’s cabinet again, he replied: “I don’t think so. I think some of the stuff he’s called me over the last few months … I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“I can’t support him.”
BREAKING: Chris Christie says he will not support Donald Trump if he is the Republican nominee for President in 2024. pic.twitter.com/IZJr1tfiYW
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) June 29, 2023
“I can’t support either one of them,” Christie said of Trump and President Biden, who is running for re-election. ‘They’re not competent and qualified to be president for different reasons.”
The former New Jersey governor cited Biden’s age and said he didn’t believe Trump could win again.
“When you’re under this much criminal scrutiny,” he continued of Trump’s federal legal troubles regarding possession of classified documents. “We need to have someone who’s honest, direct, and who can beat the Democrats, ‘cause I’m tired of losing.”
Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan similarly said he would not support Trump if he is the Republican nominee during a Wednesday CNBC segment with host Joe Kernan.
“It’s a disaster if we nominate Trump,” Ryan said, addressing his previous disapproval of the former president, though added, “He could win.”
“I think we lose with him,” he continued. “We haven’t won anything since he first won in ’16. We lost the House in ’18, the Presidency in ’20, the Senate in ’20.”
“We could have won the Senate in 2022, but for him.”
PAUL RYAN: “It's a disaster if we nominate Trump…but he could win. I’m for anyone not named Trump” pic.twitter.com/HwNLGTKV8o
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) June 28, 2023
Kernan asked the former Speaker of the House if he would support Trump in the 2024 presidential election, to which Ryan said he would endorse whoever he wanted.
“I’m for anybody not named Trump right now,” he said.
