Posted on 06/07/2023 2:37:19 AM PDT by RandFan
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie began his return to the national political stage with an opening message: 'Go big' – then flashed his ability to go for the jugular.
He denied running for president as a spoiler but said he did want to take down Donald Trump – who he hit for 'coddling' Vladimir Putin, running 'failed casinos' and 'reprehensible' bartering of Ukrainian aide that was the subject of Trump's second impeachment.
He said Americans knew Trump was 'full of it' when he said Mexico would pay for the border wall, then vowed not to make the mistake of letting Trump's claims go unchecked.
Christie, who filed paperwork to run for president Tuesday, railed against the 'disrespect, the narcissism and the lying for four years' of the Trump era. 'The people in the middle said enough,' he said, pointing to the 2020 results.
He promised to take on Trump's four-year record, and needled fellow Republicans for being unwilling to even say his name, like 'Voldemort' in the Harry Potter series.
Christie took on Trump for 'lying' about issues from the budget deficit to saying he wouldn't play golf while president. He even went after Trump's family.
'The grift form this family is breathtaking,' Christie told a crowd at a town hall in Manchester. 'Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kushner walk out of the White House and months later get $2 billion from the Saudis. You think it’s because he’s some kind of investing genius?' he said, pointing to the deal Trump's son-in-law inked with the Saudi investment fund months after Trump left office. 'That’s your money he stole, and gave it to his family. You know that what makes us? A banana republic,' he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Trump responds to Christie’s 2024 announcement
Former President Donald Trump posted a statement on his Truth Social account after former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie officially announced he is joining the GOP primary presidential race.
Trump wrote:
“How many times did Chris Christie use the word SMALL? Does he have a psychological problem with SIZE? Actually, his speech was SMALL, and not very good. It rambled all over the place, and nobody had a clue of what he was talking about. Hard to watch, boring, but that’s what you get from a failed Governor (New Jersey) who left office with a 7% approval rating and then got run out of New Hampshire. This time, it won’t be any different!”
Donald Trump Jr. mocked Christie as well, tweeting, “Krispy Kreme Christie isn’t going small, that’s for sure.”
Krispy Kreme Christie isn’t going small, that’s for sure https://t.co/C7xDfNvrOo
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 6, 2023
Any presidential debates should be moderated by FReeRepublic’s Jim Robinson
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