Chris Christie tried to taunt Donald Trump during the first Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday night. But the former New Jersey governor, known for hammering opponents with his signature in-your-face style, found that tough going without his main target in the room.
Trump, who is sitting on a 30 to 40-point lead over his GOP rivals in most polls, skipped the debate for a chat with Tucker Carlson on X, the social media platform. When Fox News debate moderators asked whether candidates would support former President Trump even if he’s convicted of a felony arising out of indictments against him, Christie opted out.
Charles Stile, columnist with The Record and NorthJersey.com, said the debate was a “bust” for Christie. “It just didn’t look good — the boos. He got booed on the introduction. Everybody else gets applause, and what does he get? He’s like Charlie Brown getting coal on Halloween,” Stile said.
Republican strategist Chris Russell said Christie didn’t quite get the breakout moment he wanted. “He’s a solid debater. He’s a good communicator. I don’t think last night he found the moment that he had, say, back in 2016 when he had the moment with Marco Rubio where he kind of stood out. It was a buzz-worthy moment the next day. I don’t think he had one of those. And I think he probably needed one.”
“He definitely stood his ground and he was in the top four, alongside Mike Pence, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy,” said Ashley Koning, director of the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll.
