At the demand of absolutely no one, Chris Christie is now in the 2024 presidential race. The disgraced former New Jersey governor announced his candidacy on Tuesday in front of a town hall audience that looked more like a focus group.
While there, he did what he always does, which is to do his “I’m the only one with the fortitude to get anything done” routine. Being from Jersey, Christie is legitimately good at the fast-talking, shot-taking thing. The problem is that so much of what he says doesn’t hit the target.
During his announcement speech, Christie made an attack on Ron DeSantis that, like Nikki Haley’s attacks regarding Disney, simply didn’t land.
There are several issues with that statement. For one, am I supposed to be mad that DeSantis stuck by his principles and promises and refused to compromise his values? Isn’t that the kind of thing we should expect from any Republican seeking the 2024 nomination? I want a president who tells it like it is and fights for what is right. Further, nothing DeSantis said about Kevin McCarthy’s debt ceiling deal was wrong. It is a bad deal, even if one believes it’s the best deal he could garner.
Also, it’s simply dishonest to paint the Florida legislature as always having been subservient to DeSantis. The Florida governor faced serious challenges from his supposed allies, including having to engage them in a knock-down, drag-out fight over whether or not to surrender on redistricting (DeSantis won that battle). Hard-won victories fighting transgenderism and protecting children also didn’t just happen. DeSantis had to bend the Florida legislature to his will over time. That’s called leadership, something Christie may not be familiar with.
(See: Florida Republicans Try to Surrender on Redistricting, Giving Democrats New Hope)
Christie wasn’t done, though. He then went on CNN with Jake Tapper, a red flag if there ever was one, to take a shot at Donald Trump.
That’s an interesting charge given that Christie helped do Trump’s 2020 debate prep. Was he willingly aiding a “puppet of Putin?” Wouldn’t that also make him a “puppet of Putin?”
But I digress, this kind of attack is never going to play in a Republican primary, and that’s a good thing. There are things that Christie could question Trump on, specifically his COVID response and his lack of follow-through on some promises. Going to the leftwing resistance well of claiming the former president is a Russian asset is just lazy and dumb. It’s the kind of thing people expect to hear on MSNBC or in the pages of The New York Times. It also ignores that Trump did not actually govern in a way that helped or coddled Moscow. Isn’t that what actually matters?
If Christie is planning on running a campaign where he just tries to nuke everyone, he’s going to need to hone his strategy because this isn’t a good start. I get that he wants to throw barbs and be the bully in the room. As a matter of entertainment (I think primary battles are fun), I’m not necessarily opposed to seeing him throw his weight around. But come on, claiming DeSantis doesn’t compromise enough and that Trump works for Putin is weak tea.