In a CNN town hall on Monday night, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie criticized former President Donald Trump for his handling of classified documents, his rhetoric on Jan. 6, and his refusal to accept the 2020 election results.
Christie, who is seen as a potential 2024 presidential contender, said Trump was acting out of “vanity run amok” and “anger” when he allegedly leaked classified information to a journalist and when he urged his supporters to march to the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“He was angry about losing. He was angry about what he perceived to be unfairness in the election. And he allowed that anger to override his good judgment,” Christie said.
Christie also said Trump was “wrong” to continue to claim that the election was stolen from him, despite dozens of court rulings and audits that found no evidence of widespread fraud.
“He lost. And when you lose, you have to admit you lost,” Christie said. “And he has not done that. And I think that’s bad for him, bad for the party, and bad for the country.”
Christie, who was one of the first prominent Republicans to endorse Trump in 2016, said he still considers him a friend, but he would not rule out challenging him in a primary if Trump decides to run again in 2024.
“I would not run against him just because he’s Donald Trump,” Christie said. “I would run against him if I believed I had a better vision for the country and a better ability to lead it.”
