Former New Jersey Governor and GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie has been criticizing and taunting Donald Trump throughout his 2024 primary run. Christie has consistently accused the front-runner Trump of cowardice for not participating in any of the GOP presidential debates. (He has also called the former President a liar.)
Two days before the third presidential debate, Christie went on CNN and told Dana Bash: “I’ve said all along that he will eventually show up on the debate stage because he knows that his most effective moments are when he’s on television — when he’s on camera, looking into the camera, being able to make his case.”
The last thing @realDonaldTrump wants when he shows up to a debate (don’t worry, he will) is for me to be on the stage right next to him.
— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) November 6, 2023
Want to see a Christie vs. Trump debate? Make sure I’m still on the debate stage with $1 today: https://t.co/HoG7DWzlEA pic.twitter.com/LwQgHfbnva
Christie added: “What he doesn’t want is for me to be on the stage when that happens. That’s why the RNC is raising these requirements and all the rest.”
At that moment, Christie points to the camera and says, “That’s why anyone out there who wants to make sure I’m on that stage should go to ChrisChristie.com, donate a dollar and make sure I am.” Bash laughs at his hard sales pitch but her laugh doesn’t stop Christie from saying “so the RNC doesn’t get to take me out.”
Note: The third debate requires campaigns to meet 4% in polls and notch 70,000 unique donors. Christie, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are expected to take stage at the third debate in Miami on Wednesday, November 8.
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna McDaniel sent a memo to campaigns regarding a fourth debate. It will take place on December 6 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and requires that “candidates must garner at least 6% in two approved national polls, or 6% in one poll from two separate early-voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.” The number of unique donors rises to 80,000 from 70,000.
