Chris Christie news – live: Ex-governor lashes out at Trump family’s ‘breathtaking grift’ in fiery 2024 launch

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie launched his campaign for president on Tuesday at a town hall event in Manchester, New Hampshire.

This is the second time Mr Christie has made a bid for the White House, the first being in 2016 when he lost to former president Donald Trump.

Though Mr Christie lent his support to Mr Trump in 2016 when he dropped out of the race, he has since changed his opinion of the former president and become a vocal critic of Mr Trump.

That was evident on Tuesday, as he denounced his former ally as a corrupt narcissist and vowed to draw blood in his quest for the Republican nomination. He did so several times during the town hall event, including at one point when he tore into the former president’s family for “breathtaking” levels of corruption and “grift” that he said followed them through the White House and beyond.

The former New Jersey governor plans to position himself as a moderate Republican alternative to both Mr Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, while promising an aggressive campaign unafraid to punch at his rivals.

Key Points

• Chris Christie files paperwork to launch long-shot 2024 bid

• ‘The grift from this family is breathtaking’

• Christie’s feud with Kushner family

• From Trump-ally to challenger

• Christie sets up bitter 2024 battle with Trump

VOICES: Chris Christie gave Trump legitimacy. Now he can’t stop Trump in 2024

09:00 , Eric Garcia

Running for president is as much about timing as anything else. When Barack Obama ran, Ted Kennedy, the patriarch of the Kennedy clan who had a failed White House run under his belt, notably told the would-be president: “You don’t choose the time. The time chooses you.”

The 2012 presidential race was likely Chris Christie’s time. In 2009, he won the governorship in staunchly Democratic New Jersey and had become a favorite of conservatives for his willingness to combat teachers’ unions and other Democratic groups in moments that went viral in the right-wing media ecosystem. It was “owning the libs” before “owning the libs” was a thing.

Read more:

Chris Christie gave Trump legitimacy. Now he can’t stop Trump in 2024

Don Jr joins father in mocking Christie’s weight

08:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump ridicules Chris Christie’s weight in edited 2024 campaign launch video

California Democrat says out of GOP primary field, he prefers ‘retweeting Chris Christie’

07:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Chris Christie is in the GOP primary to win it all

06:00 , John Bowden

If there was one takeaway from Tuesday night’s event, it was this: Chris Christie is in the GOP primary to win it all, and he plans to do so by setting himself apart from his fellows as a bold, unflinching truthteller — ironically, the same reputation that Donald Trump constructed for himself in 2016.

Whether his newfound courage will be enough to convince his potential voters to break away from the man whom the governor admitted tonight to supporting in two presidential elections? That’s another story.

Trump and Rubio respond to Christie launch

05:00 , John Bowden

Despite his insistence on Truth Social that he was not worried about the entrance of his former ally into the race, Donald Trump clearly had Chris Christie on his mind Tuesday evening as he blasted out commentary from his social media platform.

“How many times did Chris Christie use the word SMALL? Does he have a psychological problem with SIZE? Actually, his speech was SMALL, and not very good. It rambled all over the place, and nobody had a clue of what he was talking about. Hard to watch, boring, but that’s what you get from a failed Governor (New Jersey) who left office with a 7% approval rating and then got run out of New Hampshire. This time, it won’t be any different!” Mr Trump wrote.

So too did Marco Rubio, Christie’s unfortunate victim in 2016, who lamely insisted in his own tweet that the New Jersey governor’s onstage humiliation of him had not contributed to his downfall.

‘Joe Biden never beat anybody outside the state of Delaware in 45 years except for one guy – Donald J Trump’

04:00 , John Bowden

For the most part, Mr Christie focused on his real advantages as a candidate: The fiery personality that won him both praise and criticism in New Jersey, and a willingness to spar with his opponents at a surgical level. He laid the blame for Joe Biden’s 2020 victory at his opponent’s feet, calling the now-president a weak politician who had gone up against a hopelessly-damaged candidate.

“He wouldn’t be in office if it wasn’t for Trump. Joe Biden never beat anybody outside the state of Delaware in 45 years except for one guy Donald J. Trump...not once, until he ran up against the guy who the American people knew in their heart was full of it,” said the ex-governor.

Christie eager to get into a brawl with his opponents

03:00 , John Bowden

Whether Mr Christie’s fiery comments will translate into votes for his candidacy, rather than just the destruction of his foes, is not yet evident. But what is evident is the eagerness of Mr Christie to get into a brawl with his opponents, a trait so far only shared by Mr Trump himself.

That similarity was picked up on by one questioner, who identified herself as a clinical psychologist concerned about a nation “traumatised” by constant anger and divisiveness. Mr Christie responded that his brash nature and willingness to throw punches at his opponents was a strength only because it was supposedly paired with a humility and willingness to admit his own mistakes that made him a good leader.

It was at least the outline of an effective campaign, if one light on actual policy. The governor did touch on a few national issues, such as when he expressed his opposition to federal efforts to ban abortion — unless, he conceded, there was real support in Congress for it — as well as when he touched on the issue of Ukraine, and labeled Republican rivals Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis the “Neville Chamberlains” of the 2024 race for their supposed willingness to give endless concessions to a dictator.

Christie blasts rivals unwilling to slam Trump

02:00 , John Bowden

Mr Christie made clear during his launch that he has little patience for his other rivals, those like Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Tim Scott, who have thus far played coy with their thoughts regarding the former president and his legacy.

He even torched Trump family members Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump for receiving a $2bn investment from a Saudi firm into one controlled by Mr Kushner just a short time after they left the White House, deriding it as evidence of a corrupt relationship.

“The grift from this family is breathtaking. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kushner walk out of the White House, and months later, it turns out, they get $2bn from the Saudis?” said Mr Christie.

“That makes us a banana republic,” he added.

It was comments like that — plus his effortless deconstruction of calls from his rivals to ignore leaders who don’t “look forward”, and their calls for “generational change” — that outlined Mr Christie’s strengths as a politician and in-person campaigner.

Trump is a ‘self-consumed, self-serving, mirror hog,’ Christie says

01:00 , John Bowden

Mr Christie spoke at length before taking questions from his guests. In his remarks throughout the event, he remained plain-spoken and sharp-tongued while denouncing the four years of his rival’s presidency as an utter failure and little more than an opportunity for “breathtaking” levels of corruption and “grift” carried out by the Trump family.

He called the man he twice supported for the White House a “self-consumed, self-serving, mirror hog”, and said that Americans now had four years’ worth of a record with which to judge the former president.

Chris Christie targets his ‘divisive’ former friend Donald Trump as he sets up bitter 2024 battle

Thursday 8 June 2023 00:00 , John Bowden

The battle for the Republican nomination just got a whole lot messier.

That was the defining message of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s campaign launch on Tuesday: get ready for blood.

Calling out his opponents by name, deconstructing their campaign slogans and clever quips — Chris Christie was in prime form on Tuesday evening at St Anselm College in New Hampshire, where he addressed a small crowd of voters in a town hall-style event and put his sights clear on his top rival, Donald Trump.

Read more:

Chris Christie targets his former friend Trump as he sets up bitter 2024 battle

VIDEO: Chris Christie launches presidential campaign

Wednesday 7 June 2023 23:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Christie argues 2024 is different from 2016

Wednesday 7 June 2023 22:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Christie’s chances of winning the GOP nomination are slim

Wednesday 7 June 2023 22:00 , John Bowden

Matching Mr Trump’s energy both onstage and off has turned into a major challenge for Republicans, including both those who seek to end his dominance of the GOP and those who wish to emulate his style for their own gain.

Though Mr Christie is a veteran of the presidential campaign universe, his chances of winning the GOP nomination are slim. He is currently polling around 1 percent in surveys of the Republican field which include him; the vast majority of voters are currently aligned behind Mr Trump and his second-place challenger, Florida’s Ron DeSantis.

Fox News host apologises for ‘milkshake’ Chris Christie comment

Wednesday 7 June 2023 21:30 , Graeme Massie

A Fox News host has apologised after making a barbed remark about Chris Christie’s weight and his ability to down a milkshake.

John Roberts mocked the former New Jersey governor as he discussed his entry into the 2024 presidential race on the right-wing channel’s show America Reports.

Roberts made the comment as he compared the fight for the Republican nomination to two milkshakes, one being drunk by Donald Trump and the other by the remaining candidates.

“The other milkshake, which represents the non-Donald Trump part of the Republican Party, has how many straws in it now? And now we’re gonna have Chris Christie’s straw in there, and judging by Chris Christie’s physical stature, he could drink a lot of the milkshake if he wanted to. But you’re not affecting the Donald Trump milkshake,” he said.

Read more:

Fox News host apologises for ‘milkshake’ Chris Christie comment

‘You better have somebody on that stage who can do to him what I did to Marco'

Wednesday 7 June 2023 21:00 , John Bowden

Just as recently as March, the ex-governor was laying out what he believed was necessary to stop Mr Trump from attaining the GOP nomination, something many in the party’s donor class are hoping to avoid given the president’s performance in 2020 and the woeful showing by the Republican Party in the 2022 midterms.

“You better have somebody on that stage who can do to him what I did to Marco [Rubio], because that’s the only thing that’s gonna defeat Donald Trump,” he said at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. “And that means you have to be fearless, because he will come back, and right at you.”

His comments referred to the infamous moment during a February 2016 Republican debate wherein Mr Christie battled a then-surging Senator Marco Rubio onstage — in a series of brutal takedowns, the governor deconstructed his opponent’s debating approach and eviscerated it, leaving the crowd jeering as the senator attempted to respond.

It was a moment that quickly cemented itself in political debating history, but ultimately proved next to meaningless given that both men would be utterly overwhelmed in the contest by another man on the stage that night: Donald Trump.

And it remains unclear whether that same mastery of the debate stage demonstrated by Mr Christie will serve him well against Mr Trump. In one famous instance from the 2020 contests, Mr Trump bullied his way through an initial debate with now-President Joe Biden, talking over his opponent and ignoring the rules and moderator.

Christie appeared to be in the running for an administration post in Trump’s government

Wednesday 7 June 2023 20:00 , John Bowden

At one point, Mr Christie appeared to be in the running for an administration post in Mr Trump’s government, rumoured to be a top contender for the positions of attorney general or potentially secretary of state. But the former governor has since become a vocal critic of the former president, who faces criminal charges in New York City and the prospect of additional charges at the federal level and in Georgia.

In the days immediately following January 6, he urged his fellow Republicans to impeach the president for whom he had once considered working, on the grounds of inciting an insurrection — a highly serious charge that ended up going further than even the select committee formed to investigate the attack would later recommend in its referral to the Department of Justice.

Chris Christie files paperwork to launch long-shot 2024 bid

Wednesday 7 June 2023 19:00 , John Bowden

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has filed paperwork to launch his 2024 presidential bid.

Mr Christie, who faces long odds in the competition for the GOP nomination, is expected to formally kick off his campaign during a town hall in New Hampshire.

Mr Christie plans to focus on the Granite State, an early primary state that he hopes will help give his campaign momentum. Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, leads the increasingly crowded GOP field. But Mr Christie will look to position himself as a more moderate alternative to Mr Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who recently launched his own GOP presidential bid.

Read more:

Chris Christie files paperwork to launch long-shot 2024 bid

‘The grift from this family is breathtaking’

Wednesday 7 June 2023 18:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Calling Mr Trump a “self-serving mirror hog” during his 2024 campaign launch, Mr Christie went on to say that “the grift from this family is breathtaking”.

“Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kushner walk out of the White House and months later get $2bn from the Saudis. $2bn from the Saudis,” he added. “You think it’s because he’s some kind of investing genius? Or do you think it’s because he was sitting next to the President of the United States for four years doing favours for the Saudis?”

The investment fund of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman entered a deal with Mr Kushner’s Affinity Partners six months after Mr Kushner left the White House, prompting ethics concerns, according to The New York Times.

“That’s your money,” Mr Christie told the audience in New Hampshire. “That’s your money he stole and gave it to his family. You know what that makes us? A banana republic. That’s what it makes us.”

Christie’s feud with Kushner family

Wednesday 7 June 2023 17:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Trump’s meme-sharing comes after Mr Christie went after Ms Trump and Mr Kushner.

The Kushner family has been in a decades-long feud with Mr Christie. When he was serving as a US Attorney in New Jersey in 2004, Mr Christie prosecuted Mr Kushner’s father, Charles Kushner, who ended up pleading guilty to “16 counts of assisting in the filing of false tax returns, one count of retaliating against a cooperating witness and one count of making false statements to the Federal Election Commission,” according to a statement from the Department of Justice.

Mr Trump pardoned Charles Kushner in 2020.

From Trump-ally to challenger

Wednesday 7 June 2023 16:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Christie became the first establishment Republican to endorse Mr Trump after dropping out of the 2016 primary. He was for a time in charge of Mr Trump’s presidential transition and was also considered for roles such as vice president and attorney general, ideas which were vetoed by Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

After being an ally of the president and supporting him in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, Mr Christie has now become one of his harshest critics. Last year, Mr Trump posted an image of Mr Christie at a buffet with the caption “Chris Christie at a Roy Rogers at 11 PM in the evening trying to console himself”.

Trump ridicules Chris Christie’s weight in edited 2024 campaign launch video

Wednesday 7 June 2023 15:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump fired off a nasty buffet video of Chris Christie after the former governor attacked Ivanka Trump at his 2024 campaign launch.

The former president shared a video created by Twitter users @NautPoso and @drefanzor which was crudely edited to make it appear as if the ex-New Jersey governor was starting his campaign at an all-you-can-buffet holding a plate of food.

Mr Trump shared the video not long after taking another shot at Mr Christie’s weight.

“How many times did Chris Christie use the word SMALL? Does he have a psychological problem with SIZE? Actually, his speech was SMALL, and not very good,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It rambled all over the place, and nobody had a clue of what he was talking about. Hard to watch, boring, but that’s what you get from a failed Governor (New Jersey) who left office with a 7% approval rating and then got run out of New Hampshire. This time, it won’t be any different!”

Mr Christe has faced a litany of jokes about his weight in the last few weeks from outlets such as Newsmax and Fox News. Fox host Greg Gutfeld took part in the mockery, as did network anchor John Roberts who said the former governor “could drink a lot the milkshake if he wanted to” because of his “physical stature”.

Read more:

Trump ridicules Chris Christie’s weight in edited 2024 campaign launch video

Christie sets up bitter 2024 battle with Trump

Wednesday 7 June 2023 14:15 , John Bowden

The battle for the Republican nomination just got a whole lot messier.

That was the defining message of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s campaign launch on Tuesday: Get ready for blood.

Calling out his opponents by name, deconstructing their campaign slogans and clever quips — Chris Christie was in prime form on Tuesday evening at St Anselm College in New Hampshire, where he addressed a small crowd of voters in a town hall-style event and put his sights clear on his top rival, Donald Trump.

Mr Christie spoke at length before taking questions from his guests. In his remarks throughout the event, he remained plain-spoken and sharp-tongued while denouncing the four years of his rival’s presidency as an utter failure and little more than an opportunity for “breathtaking” levels of corruption and “grift” carried out by the Trump family.

Read more:

Chris Christie targets his former friend Trump as he sets up bitter 2024 battle

VOICES: Chris Christie gave Trump legitimacy. Now he can’t stop Trump in 2024

Wednesday 7 June 2023 13:15 , John Bowden

Chris Christie is officially running for president. But out of office for several years, and having suffered a humiliating defeat in the 2016 primary, The Independent’s Eric Garcia asks: Is his time of relevance over?

Read more:

Chris Christie gave Trump legitimacy. Now he can’t stop Trump in 2024

Christie: Trump would ‘give Ukraine to Russia’ to end war

Wednesday 7 June 2023 12:15 , John Bowden

Mr Christie explained on Tuesday what he said was the true meaning behind Donald Trump’s boasting of his supposed ability to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, were the latter to be elected president again.

Speaking to voters, he argued: "Let me tell you how he would. He'd give Ukraine to Russia.”

Trump lashes out at Chris Christie

Wednesday 7 June 2023 11:15 , Joe Sommerlad

As you might have expected, Donald Trump was hardly likely to let Christie’s attacks on his “grifter” family unchallenged.

Here’s what he had to say in his latest feverish post to Truth Social:

“How many times did Chris Christie use the word SMALL? Does he have a psychological problem with SIZE? Actually, his speech was SMALL, and not very good. It rambled all over the place, and nobody had a clue of what he was talking about. Hard to watch, boring, but that’s what you get from a failed Governor (New Jersey) who left office with a 7% approval rating and then got run out of New Hampshire. This time, it won’t be any different!”

Christie wins praise from Democrats for Trump attacks

Wednesday 7 June 2023 10:15 , John Bowden

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie had at least a few fans on social media Tuesday evening as he laid into Donald Trump: Democrats.

“I don’t always retweet GOP Presidential candidates. But when I do, I prefer retweeting Chris Christie,” wrote Rep Ted Lieu, a California lawmaker.

Medhi Hasan, a left-leaning commentator on MSNBC, added: “Christie’s a hypocrite on Trump but, I won’t lie, I’m still enjoying this. Not sure his audience is, but I am.”

Chris Christie fires back at Marco Rubio after town hall

Wednesday 7 June 2023 08:15 , John Bowden

After Senator Marco Rubio complained on Twitter that journalists were labeling Mr Christie responsible for the downfall of his 2016 campaign, the governor was ready with a response.

“We didn’t bring it up, but we know exactly what we are doing. Donate at http://chrischristie.com to give me a chance to do this to Trump on the debate stage,” wrote the ex-governor.

Christie hits Trump for adding to debt — but so did congressional Republicans

Wednesday 7 June 2023 06:15 , John Bowden

One of Chris Christie’s attacks aimed at Donald Trump Tuesday evening hinged on the issue of the debt, which jumped under the Trump administration in large part due to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as a major tax cut passed in 2017.

The problem? While Mr Trump certainly was the one who signed that bill into law, it was Republicans in Congress — the same ones who he hopes will be his allies during a 2024 run — who voted for it.

Next big Christie event: A CNN town hall

Wednesday 7 June 2023 04:15 , John Bowden

Chris Christie will return for another town hall event next week — this time moderated by CNN, which has hosted both Donald Trump and Nikki Haley for similar events in recent days.

Christie rips into Trump family

Wednesday 7 June 2023 03:17 , John Bowden

Speaking about Donald Trump’s tenure in the White House, Mr Christie’s most scathing remark of the night was aimed at the entire Trump family as a whole.

"The grift from this family is breathtaking. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kushner walk out of the White House, and months later, it turns out, they get $2 billion from the Saudis?” Mr Christie asked.

“That makes us a banana republic,” he added.

Christie wraps up first 2024 event

Wednesday 7 June 2023 01:54 , John Bowden

Chris Christie’s first 2024 presidential campaign event has ended, following a whirlwind two hours of remarks and questions with the former New Jersey governor.

Follow all of The Independent’s live coverage of the 2024 race here, and be sure to join us again later in the week as the contest heats up with more appearances from GOP candidate including Ron DeSantis.

Christie sets up bitter 2024 battle with Trump

Wednesday 7 June 2023 01:26 , John Bowden

The battle for the Republican nomination just got a whole lot messier.

That was the defining message of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s campaign launch on Tuesday: Get ready for blood.

Calling out his opponents by name, deconstructing their campaign slogans and clever quips — Chris Christie was in prime form on Tuesday evening at St Anselm College in New Hampshire, where he addressed a small crowd of voters in a town hall-style event and put his sights clear on his top rival, Donald Trump.

Mr Christie spoke at length before taking questions from his guests. In his remarks throughout the event, he remained plain-spoken and sharp-tongued while denouncing the four years of his rival’s presidency as an utter failure and little more than an opportunity for “breathtaking” levels of corruption and “grift” carried out by the Trump family.

Read more:

Chris Christie lashes out at Trump family’s ‘breathtaking grift’ – live

A look back on Chris Christie’s 2016 campaign

Wednesday 7 June 2023 01:00 , John Bowden

As former governor Chris Christie prepares to launch his 2024 presidential campaign in New Hampshire on Tuesday, many are reminded of his first go at the White House in 2015.

“America has been a nation that has always controlled events and yet today events control us. Why? Because leadership matters,” Mr Christie wrote in a post on his Facebook wall in 2015 . “It matters if we want to restore America’s role in the world, find the political will to take on the entrenched special interests that continually stand in the way of fundamental change, reform entitlement spending at every level of government, and ensure that every child, no matter their zip code, has access to a quality education.”

Here is a look back at Mr Christie’s campaign for president from The Independent:

Jeb Bush, Sarah Palin, Donald Trump... and now we have another possible candidate for presidential nominee

Trump lashes out on Truth Social

Wednesday 7 June 2023 00:31 , John Bowden

Donald Trump attacked his newest primary rival as Chris Christie’s town hall campaign launch unfolded Tuesday evening.

“How many times did Chris Christie use the word SMALL? Does he have a psychological problem with SIZE? Actually, his speech was SMALL, and not very good. It rambled all over the place, and nobody had a clue of what he was talking about,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“Hard to watch, boring, but that’s what you get from a failed Governor (New Jersey) who left office with a 7% approval rating and then got run out of New Hampshire. This time, it won’t be any different!” Mr Trump added.

Christie attacks Donald Trump, and those who won't

Wednesday 7 June 2023 00:03 , John Bowden

Calling him a man “obsessed with the mirror” and unwilling to admit his own mistakes, Mr Christie entered into the conclusion of his remarks on Tuesday with a pointed attack aimed at Donald Trump.

Mr Christie also lashed out at Republicans like Ron DeSantis and his other rivals for the 2024 nomination, who he said were afraid to name their enemy as if he was “Voldemort” from the Harry Potter franchise.

“Beware of the leader in this country who has never made a mistake. Who has never done anything wrong. Who when something goes wrong it’s someone else’s fault,” said Mr Christie.

Ex-governor references ‘BridgeGate’ scandal in remarks

Wednesday 7 June 2023 00:00 , John Bowden

Speaking to voters in New Hampshire, Chris Christie made it clear he was not shying away from questions about the ‘BridgeGate’ scandal that consumed the final months of his tenure in office.

Explaining that he trusted people whom he should not have, the governor explained: “It resulted in me being at one point in my career admitting that I was publicly embarrassed and humiliated by the things that had happened on my watch.”

Christie: Obama, Biden and Trump made America ‘smaller’

Tuesday 6 June 2023 23:43 , John Bowden

Chris Christie lashed out at the past three presidents of the United States in his campaign launch Monday evening, blaming the men for making the United States “smaller” and dividing Americans into groups.

Barack Obama, he said, “divided” America. Donald Trump divided the country “even further”. And Joe Biden ran on bringing the country together, before according to Mr Christie pitting his party against Republicans and painting the GOP with one brush.

Chris Christie takes the stage at campaign launch event

Tuesday 6 June 2023 23:36 , John Bowden

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has just taken the stage at St Anselm college, where he is launching his 2024 campaign for president with a town hall event.

Watch along here:

Chris Christie polling around 1 per cent

Tuesday 6 June 2023 22:30 , Ariana Baio

National polls have former New Jersey governor and recent GOP candidate Chris Christie polling around one per cent.

A Fox News poll from May showed current frontrunner Donald Trump received 53 per cent of support and Ron DeSantis 20 per cent. Mr Christie had about one per cent along with Larry Elder.

Similarly, a CNN poll from late May showed Mr Christie holding one or less than one per cent.

The polling numbers will likely change after Mr Christie formally announces his campaign, though some are not convinced it will be enough for Mr Christie to earn a place in the White House.

Who is running for president in 2024?

Tuesday 6 June 2023 22:00 , Ariana Baio

As former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie enters the race for president, here’s who else has thrown their hat in the ring.

Andrew Feinberg and Ariana Baio report:

Who is running for president in 2024?