Former New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie spoke out against former President Donald Trump after he made derogatory remarks about Christie's weight during a rally in New Hampshire.
During the rally, Trump took a jab at Christie's weight, saying Christie was "eating right now" and "can’t be bothered."
He then gestured towards the crowd and added:
“Sir, please do not call him a fat pig. See, I’m trying to be nice. Don’t call him a fat pig.”
In response, Christie took to Twitter to challenge Trump directly:
"If you had the guts you would show up to the debate and say it to my face."
You can see Christie's post below.
Christie has been attempting to goad Trump into participating in the upcoming first Republican presidential debate, which is scheduled to be hosted by Fox News on August 23rd.
Trump has hinted that he is unlikely to attend the debate, but he expressed interest in it on his Truth Social website, stating that he wants to see who he might consider for a potential vice presidential candidate.
Many criticized Trump following Christie's response.
The relationship between Trump and Christie has gone through various phases. Christie was an early supporter of Trump, endorsing him after dropping out of the 2016 presidential race.
Christie remained closely associated with the Trump administration during Trump's presidency, but tensions grew after the 2020 election. He has now entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination and is running explicitly against Trump.
Christie has broken from Trump on major issues, notably when he criticized Trump for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin even as the international community responded with outrage and issued sanctions in response to Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
He has said that phone calls from Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner—Trump's daughter and son-in-law—convinced him not to accept a role as Trump's Chief of Staff, having expressed misgivings about managing White House affairs with Kushner in proximity because during his time as a federal prosecutor, he sent Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, to prison for tax fraud.
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