Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has launched his campaign for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, starting with a sharp attack on Donald Trump, calling him a "pig" who serves his own interests and is unfit to lead. Christie criticized other rivals for avoiding a direct confrontation with him.
At 60 years old, Christie was an advisor in Trump's successful 2016 campaign but has since become one of the former president's most vocal critics due to Trump's false claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Christie, a former federal prosecutor, positioned himself as the only Republican contender ready to face Trump.
He mockingly imitated Trump, claiming he would build a southern border wall funded by Mexico, and noted that Trump bears more responsibility than President Joe Biden for the failures of the country's immigration policy. In a social media post, Trump referred to Christie's weight and labeled him a "failed governor."
Currently, Christie has not fared well in polls, receiving only 1% support from potential voters in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in May, compared to Trump, who garnered 49%, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who received 19%. Christie had previously run in the 2016 elections but ended his campaign after disappointing results in the New Hampshire primaries, becoming the first prominent party figure to endorse Trump at that time.
