Things got nasty during the third GOP debate while the playing field was down to just five candidates hoping to call the White House their new home.
On Wednesday night, Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) resorted to the only tactic he knows how to play: bashing former President Trump every chance.
During the debate, Christie fired shots at Trump, saying, “Anybody who is going to be spending the next year and a half of their life focusing on keeping themselves out of jail and courtrooms cannot lead this party or this country.”
It is worth noting that Christie is not currently leading any poll, while Trump is the clear frontrunner of the GOP race— topping President Joe Biden as well.
He also blamed Trump for failing to ban the Chinese-owned app TikTok, accusing China of “polluting the minds of American young people.”
“He talked tough about TikTok. I heard him do it many times,” Christie said. “But when it came down to it, he did not ban them when he could have and should have.”
Addressing the hot topic of the Hamas-Israel war, Christie highlighted the rise in hate crimes throughout the country, saying that he was not opposed to sending troops to Europe. He pointed out that the last time there was a ground war, the U.S. waited to intervene, and it “bought us a few years” before entering World War II.
“This is not a choice. This is the price we pay for being the leaders of the free world,” Christie said. “Those of us who forget history are doomed to repeat it, and the absolute giving into dictators which is being suggested on this stage just shows the immaturity of the approach.”
Despite his occasional attack on Trump, the former New Jersey governor stayed unusually quiet as the third debate continued.
However, he did chime in when the candidates were asked their views on abortion— a day after the radical, inhumane procedure won big in parts of the country.
“I trust the people of this country, state by state, to make the call for themselves,” Christie told the audience.
According to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, Trump received 64 percent support among Republican and Republican-leaning voters, while Christie only received three percent.
In addition, a FiveThirtyEight survey found that Christie has secured just under three percent of favorability compared to other candidates such as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), who received 13.9 percent, and Trump with 56.5 percent.