Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, known as a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, officially withdrew from the 2024 U.S. presidential race on Wednesday.
During an event in New Hampshire, with an audience of less than 100 voters, Christie issued a stern warning about Trump and his influence on the nation.
“I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump ever be president the United States again,” Christie declared.
He emphasized his commitment to truth and integrity in politics, stating, “I would rather lose by telling the truth than lie in order to win.”
Christie’s exit from the race is seen as a potential boost to other Republican candidates. Political analysts suggest that former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley could benefit, as she gains ground against Trump in New Hampshire polls. A recent USA TODAY/Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll indicated that without Christie in the race, Trump would lead Haley by a margin of 47 percent to 32 percent, according to U.S. media.
However, Christie did not endorse any candidate upon his withdrawal. He was overheard on a hot mic stating that Haley is “going to get smoked,” moments before he announced the suspension of his 2024 campaign.
Christie also directly criticized Haley during his speech, referencing Benjamin Franklin’s words about the Civil War and slavery, a topic Haley recently faced backlash for failing to acknowledge as a cause of the Civil War.
Despite this, Haley expressed admiration for Christie, sharing on X, formerly Twitter, “Chris Christie has been a friend for many years. I commend him on a hard-fought campaign.”
Christie had consistently maintained that he intended to remain in the race at least until the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23. He seemed poised to surpass his 2016 performance, where he finished in sixth place with only 7 percent of the vote.
Supporters of Haley, such as New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and other Republicans opposed to Trump, had been encouraging Christie to withdraw from the race. Their hope is that many of Christie’s supporters will now back Haley, who is currently viewed as the most moderate candidate in the running. This shift could potentially transform the race into a two-candidate contest between Haley and Trump, who is currently the frontrunner for the nomination, U.S. media said.
The New Hampshire poll, where Christie was polling at 12 percent, indicated that approximately two-thirds of his supporters would choose Haley as their alternative preference.
