Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he is ending his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination. He explained his basic rationale as being the importance that Trump not win another term.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie says he is ending his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination. He made the announcement at a town hall in New Hampshire tonight. NPR’s Don Gonyea joins me now from Iowa, actually, where the 2024 caucuses are just days away. Hey there, Don.
DON GONYEA, BYLINE: Hi there.
KELLY: Hi. So you were listening in as Christie spoke. Why is he dropping out and why now?
GONYEA: His basic rationale was that it’s so important that Donald Trump not win another term, that that would be disastrous for the country. Now, it’s also important to note that that has been his message from Day 1 of his campaign, and it’s a message that’s gotten, you know, virtually no traction in the campaign so far. And it’s that lack of traction that has prompted him to say today that he doesn’t want to have done anything to make a Trump win more likely. He doesn’t want to divide up the vote, so he’s dropping out. And here’s how he framed it as he spoke at this town hall in Windham, N.H.
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CHRIS CHRISTIE: If you put him back behind the desk in the Oval Office and a choice comes and a decision is needed to be made as to whether he puts himself first or he puts you first, how much more evidence do you need that he will pick himself?
KELLY: Don Gonyea, it is just so interesting to hear those words from Chris Christie because, let’s recall, Christie endorsed Trump back in 2016. I gather he offered sort of a mea culpa for that today?
GONYEA: He did. And again, we should not underestimate the help that the Christie endorsement was for Trump back then. He was the first national figure of his stature to endorse him. And Trump, you know, helped him pay off his campaign…
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