Former President Trump, responding to former New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s exit from the GOP primary race on Wednesday night, expressed a potential shift in his sentiments toward Christie. Trump highlighted Christie’s noteworthy hot mic incident earlier in the day, during which Christie candidly remarked about Nikki Haley’s prospects in the race against the former president.
“I hear Chris Christie is dropping out of the race today — I might even get to like him again! Anyway, he was just caught on a hot mic making a very truthful statement: ‘She’s gonna get smoked…You and I both know it, she’s not up to this,'” Trump shared on Truth Social.
Christie, in announcing the suspension of his White House bid, explained that there was no viable path for him to secure the nomination. Prior to this announcement, he was overheard on a hot mic in New Hampshire criticizing Haley’s chances against Trump.
“I mean look, she’s spent like 68 million so far, just on TV — spent 68 million so far — 59 million by DeSantis, and we spent 12. I mean, who’s punching above their weight and who’s getting a return on their investment, you know?” Christie remarked. “And she’s gonna get smoked. And you and I both know it. She’s not up to this.”
Echoing Christie’s sentiments, Florida Governor DeSantis concurred with the assessment of Haley’s chances. “I agree with Christie that Nikki Haley is ‘going to get smoked,’” DeSantis conveyed on X, formerly Twitter.
Following Christie’s withdrawal, Haley’s campaign issued a statement without addressing his remarks directly. “Chris Christie has been a friend for many years. I commend him on a hard-fought campaign. Voters have a clear choice in this election: the chaos and drama of the past or a new generation of conservative leadership. I will fight to earn every vote, so together we can build a strong and proud America,” she asserted.
