Chris Christie Criticizes GOP Competitors for Their Fear of Offending Former President Donald Trump

The stage was set for the fourth GOP presidential debate in Alabama, headlined by the absence of former President Donald Trump, who, despite maintaining a leading position among all candidates, opted out of the fourth consecutive debate. In a surprising turn just 17 minutes into the event, Chris Christie took a bold approach, launching a vigorous attack not only on Trump but also on his fellow contenders, criticizing their apparent reluctance to directly address the former president. Christie said, "I'm usually not somebody that gets missed, but okay, let's go."

Moving further, the spotlight turned to Megyn Kelly as she aimed a sharp remark at Christie, reminding him of his prior endorsements of Trump during both the 2016 and 2020 elections. Kelly highlighted Christie's earlier commendation of Trump's first-term performance, rating it an 'A'. However, the dynamic took a sharp turn since then, with Christie's public criticism of Trump, labeling him as a liar, a loser, and a con man, and asserting that Trump was unelectable, according to insights from Kelly. Raw Story's report also emphasized Christie's alleged motive to enter the race solely to stop President Trump's candidacy. Further revelations from Kelly shed light on Trump's substantial 81% approval rating compared with Christie's notably lower 25% approval rating.

Replying to Kelly, Christine said, "Well look, Megyn, it is often very difficult to be the only person on stage who is telling the truth and the only person who is taking on what needs to be taken on." "The fact is, when you go and say the truth about somebody who is a dictator, a bully, who has taken shots at everybody, whether they have given great service or not over time, who dares to disagree with him, then I understand why they're timid to say anything about it," he added. Expanding on his stance, he expressed that his motivation for being in the race is the necessity to speak the truth and uphold candid discussions on pertinent issues.

Christie also added, "The fact of the matter is he's unfit to be president. There's no bigger issue in this race than Donald Trump and those numbers prove it." In the latter segment of the debate, Christie intensified his critique, directing pointed remarks at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for evading the question concerning Trump's fitness for office. He aimed at his fellow contenders, accusing them of hesitancy to express their opinions for fear of offending. Drawing a comparison, Christie likened their behavior to characters in the Harry Potter series who refrained from mentioning the name of the notorious villain, Voldemort.

As reported by Huff Post, amid Christie's passionate and vehement criticisms against Trump, the debate revolved significantly around the intense battle for the secondary position in a primary that remains firmly within Trump's grasp, presenting a major challenge for anyone else to seize the lead.