Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is trying to position himself as a candidate who can take on Trump in the 2024 Republican primary. This is simply not realistic.
Christie did some good things as a governor, but his time as a presidential candidate has passed.
Politico is playing along:
Christie sees a lane in the GOP primary: Trump destroyerFormer New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie wondered if the Republican field has what it takes to stop former President Donald Trump.Christie challenged Republicans to find someone who can do to Trump “what I did to Marco” Rubio — a callback to his 2016 debate-stage evisceration of the Republican senator from Florida — “because that’s the only thing that’s going to defeat” Trump.“You have to be fearless, because he will come back — and right at you,” Christie said. “And that means you need to think about who’s got the skill to do that, and who’s got the guts to do that, because it’s not going to end nicely.”Christie’s former supporters in New Hampshire hope it’ll be him.“We definitely need somebody strong and optimistic,” said Hillary Seeger, a conservative activist who backed Christie’s 2016 presidential bid. “We need to have somebody that can win the primary and the general election.”
Zachary Faria offers a counterpoint at the Washington Examiner:
Chris Christie does not have a ‘lane’ in the 2024 GOP primaryFormer New Jersey GOP Gov. Chris Christie apparently sees a “lane” in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. That lane is about as open as a lane on the George Washington Bridge.Christie apparently thinks he can wreck former President Donald Trump’s campaign as he did to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in the 2016 GOP primary. He’s already throwing other Republicans under the bus, including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), suggesting they are too weak to take on Trump.Christie overestimates both his appeal and his own “talent.” Times have changed since 2016, and Christie has gone from the once-popular governor who missed his moment to a glorified CNN pundit. Christie is less popular and less influential among Republicans than ever. His words carry little weight.
Christie does seem to have the support of Geraldo Rivera of FOX News.
I’m not sure how far that’s going to take him.
No one can predict what’s going to happen in the 2024 Republican primary, but it’s probably safe to say that the GOP nomination is not going to Christie.
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