Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) admitted in a brand new presidential marketing campaign advert that endorsing former President Donald Trump in 2016 was a mistake on his half.
“I have an admission to make. Eight years ago when I decided to endorse Donald Trump for president, I did it because he was winning, and I did it because I thought I could make him a better candidate and a better president,” Christie mentioned within the 66-second advert launched Thursday. “Well, I was wrong, I made a mistake.”
After he dropped out of the 2016 presidential race, Christie supported Trump and briefly led his presidential transition staff. Last yr, Christie was requested about his judgment in regard to endorsing Trump in an interview with Vanity Fair.
“I’m not perfect. I can be wrong sometimes. I think everybody can,” he mentioned.
Unlike a number of the different GOP presidential candidates, Christie has persistently criticized Trump each earlier than and through his 2024 marketing campaign.
While Trump is going through a myriad of authorized points, together with quite a few prison instances and disqualification from ballots in two states, he’s nonetheless main the Republican 2024 main polls with a mean of 61.8%, in response to FiveThirtyEight. Trailing behind him are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (12.1%), Nikki Haley (11.2%), Vivek Ramaswamy (4.8%), Christie (3.4%) and Asa Hutchinson (0.8%).
Elsewhere within the advert, Christie addressed Trump’s lead within the polls.
“Now, we’re confronted with the very same choice again,” he mentioned. “Donald Trump is ahead in the polls, so everyone says, ‘Anyone who’s behind him should drop out, and we should make our choice Donald Trump versus Joe Biden.’ Well, Joe Biden has had the wrong policies, and Donald Trump will sell the soul of this country. Neither choice is acceptable to me, and it shouldn’t be acceptable to you.”
Never one to shrink back from verbal assaults, Trump marketing campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung responded to the advert in a press release to Politico, saying, “Chris Christie looks like a weak bitch.”
