Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie estimated in an interview Sunday that Donald Trump’s chances of running for president again are virtually zero.
The former governor and former adviser to Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign never entered the chaotic Trump White House or wider administration, but had largely supported the president and his policies until Jan. 6. Since then, he has been an outspoken critic of Mr. Trump, accusing him of fueling the deadly unrest that has engulfed Congress.
On Sunday, he joined ABC’s this week And assume that Donald Trump is likely to drop out of the 2024 election cycle because he will run again.
“Do I believe Donald Trump will run for president? I don’t. I believe he’s shooting 50-50 right now whether he runs or not,” Mr Christie said.
The remarks came as the former president hinted at plans to bid again during most, if not all, of his campaign-style rallies; Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas over the weekend also expressed these tendencies.
Mr Christie went on to say that the calculations the former president made were very different from those he made before his successful presidential bid in 2016. During the 2016 campaign, Mr. Trump was largely seen by mainstream and conservative media circles as a no-nonsense candidate before securing the Republican nomination and ultimately defeating Hillary Clinton in the general election.
According to Mr. Christie, the 45th president knew that any bid he made for the White House in 2024 would be met with outright hostility from the mainstream media, as well as parts of his own Republican Party, if his hand-picked candidates, especially It’s the US Senate, which lost to Democrats in November.
“Whatever he decides to do, he takes that into account because he’s not stupid,” Mr Christie argued.
Mr. Trump made headlines at CPAC over the weekend and was recently photographed with far-right agitators such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tucker Carlson, as he continued his efforts to remain the de facto leader of the Republican Party. While there have been some setbacks in the 2022 primary, notably in the Georgia gubernatorial primary, the former president’s choice loyalist has won many primaries, including Georgia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. A key Senate race to show his dominance over other Republican figures like Mike Pence or Ted Cruz, his rival for his handpicked candidate.
Those candidates, however, have become a sour spot for the national GOP, as Democrats now lead their opponents in the three aforementioned Senate races. Trump’s loyal allies appear to be carrying a political baggage that completely jeopardizes the GOP’s chances of retaking the upper house in January.
