Chris Christie Drops Out Of 2024 Presidential Race, Does Not Offer Endorsement Of Any Donald Trump Rival

Ted Johnson
·3 min read
74
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

UPDATED: Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, after his anti-Donald Trump candidacy failed to take off in the Republican primary.

“It’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination, which is why I am suspending my company tonight,” Christie said at a town hall in Windham, NH, a speech carried on the major news networks.

More from Deadline

“I want to promise you this: I want to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump ever be president of the United States again, and that is more important than my personal ambition.”

He did not endorse a candidate, telling those in the room that “anyone who is unwilling to say that [Trump] is unfit to be president of the United States is unfit themselves to be president of the United States.” Just before he gave his remarks, Christie was caught on a hot mic bashing one of Trump’s main rivals, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley

Christie’s exit leaves just Trump, Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson in the race.

Christie staked his candidacy on his withering criticism of Trump, calling not just unfit for office but blasting him for not showing up to any of the GOP debates. In a recent ad, Christie said that he “made a mistake” in endorsing Trump in 2016, after he ended his own presidential bid that cycle. Christie said that Trump would “sell the soul of this country.”

There had been some pressure among some Republicans backing Haley for Christie to drop out to boost her chances.

Even though Christie’s exit may end up helping Haley in New Hampshire, he expressed misgivings this week about the prospect of endorsing her.

“Let’s say I dropped out of the race right now and I supported Nikki Haley,” Christie said, per the AP. “And then three months from now, four months from now, when you’re ready to go to the convention, she comes out as his vice president. What will I look like? What will all the people who supported her at my behest look like?”

On the hot mic, Christie could be heard saying of Haley, “She’s going to get smoked. You and I both know it. She’s not up to this.” Christie also said that a “petrified” DeSantis had called him.

On Truth Social, Trump posted Christie’s comments about Haley. Some polls show that she has moved to within single digits of Trump in New Hampshire, which holds its primary on Jan. 23. Iowa’s caucuses are on Monday, but Christie had not waged much of a campaign there.

Haley and DeSantis have been critical of Trump, but they each signaled at the first GOP debate last year that they would still support him even if he was convicted in one or more of the criminal cases he is facing.

Christie’s role as the leading anti-Trump figure in the race, a longshot, failed to catch on in a party where the former president still has dominance. Christie failed to qualify for the next presidential debate, scheduled for Wednesday evening in Iowa. CNN’s criteria required that candidates reach at least 10% in recent polls.

Word of Christie’s plans to exit the race began to leak out earlier on Wednesday afternoon, when journalist Mark Halperin reported that he planned to drop out.

Christie is a former ABC News commentator. He had supported Trump until after the 2020 presidential election, when he refused to back Trump’s stolen election claims.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.