Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Jan. 10 announced he was suspending his campaign for the White House.
“I’ve always said that if there came a point in time in this race where I couldn’t see a path to accomplishing that goal, I would get out. And it’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination, which is why I’m suspending my campaign tonight for president of the United States,” Mr. Christie said in Windham, New Hampshire.
He made the announcement at what was supposed to be a town hall campaign appearance. It came only hours before the 9 p.m. ET kickoff time for the fifth Republican presidential debate and just five days before the Jan. 15 Iowa caucus.
Before announcing that he was suspending his campaign, Mr. Christie levied multiple attacks against former President Donald Trump and those supporting him in his bid for a second term as president.
For the first time, Mr. Christie attacked President Trump’s fabled Make American Great Again campaign slogan, saying “The phrase ‘Make America Great Again’ has always offended me because it implies that America wasn’t great. America is great. It was great long before those red hats showed up.”
He also seemed to take a new position against Republicans, including other Republican presidential candidates who’ve criticized President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.
“We have had Donald Trump and other candidates in this race who say they don’t want people coming to this country if they’re not of our religion,” Mr. Christie said. “We don’t have a religion in America. Our Constitution is founded on there being no national religion.
“Yet we’re abandoning that and continuing to respond positively to the siren song of someone who would actually say something like that as a candidate for president of the United States. That’s only to divide.”
There has been much speculation that a dropout by Mr. Christie from the race for the Republican nomination would translate into more votes for former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, at least in New Hampshire.
Ms. Haley is trailing President Trump by only single digits, according to at least two national polls in the key battleground state.
Ms. Haley responded to Mr. Christie’s announcement by saying: “Chris Christie has been a friend for many years. I commend him on a hard-fought campaign.”
Before taking the stage at the New Hampshire town hall event on Jan. 10, Mr. Christie was caught on a hot mic talking about Ms. Haley, saying: “She’s going to get smoked. You and I both know it. ... she’s not up to this.”
He also started a comment about Republican rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying that “DeSantis called me petrified, I would—” The hot mic was cut off before Mr. Christie finished the sentence.
On Jan. 9, the day before Mr. Christie announced that he was suspending his campaign, Mr. Christie called New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu a liar for telling CNN that he was dropping out of the race.
“It pains me to say this, but Gov. Sununu is a liar,” Mr. Christie told New Hampshire television station WMUR.
Ms. Haley’s campaign numbers climbed following an endorsement from Mr. Sununu last month. Many in New Hampshire have speculated that Mr. Sununu is poising himself to be Ms. Haley’s running mate if she should clinch the party nomination.
The fourth-term governor abruptly announced he wasn’t seeking a fifth term during the presidential campaign and also dropped a short-lived run for the presidency himself.
