Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a former Donald Trump ally who has become one of his most vocal critics, is entering the 2024 presidential race according to official documents submitted on Tuesday, presenting himself as the only candidate capable of taking on the former president.
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Mr Christie, 60, known for his combative style, has registered his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). He joins an already crowded field of right-wing contenders for the White House, such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence, who is set to formally present his candidacy on Wednesday.
Chris Christie is set to make a public announcement Tuesday night in New Hampshire.
In 2016, he actually sought the nomination in the Republican primary, before kneeling and supporting Donald Trump.
At that time, he became one of his close advisors. But he says he cut ties with him when the businessman refused to concede his 2020 presidential defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.
Chris Christie, still very low in the polls, began to attack Donald Trump, suggesting that the Republican favorite according to polls was “afraid” of debates with serious opponents.
Mr. Trump has hinted he could skip at least one of the early debates.
“If he really cared about the country—and I have great doubts about that—he should go, and he shouldn’t be afraid,” Christie said.
He criticized former governor Donald Trump on several other fronts, notably referring to the multiple investigations targeting him and calling him a “Putin puppet” after the businessman’s vague remarks about the war in Ukraine.
