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EXCLUSIVE: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said it will be “up to the voters” on whether former President Trump should return to the White House but said he wouldn’t “rule out” his own 2024 presidential bid.
In his new book, “Republican Rescue: Saving the Party from Truth Deniers, Conspiracy Theorists, and the Dangerous Policies of Joe Biden,” Christie describes his nearly 20-year friendship with Trump, saying he is always honest and straightforward with the former president.
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Christie said he felt it was “imperative” for him to write his new book after “historically bad years” for the Republican Party, which lost the majorities in the House of Representatives, the Senate and then the White House in 2020.
When asked if the country needs another four years of Trump in the White House, Christie replied: “That’s all up to the voters.”
President Trump greets New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie after speaking about administration plans to combat the nation’s opioid crisis in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Oct. 26, 2017.
(REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
“What I’d say, is, that it depends,” Christie said. “If he is going to spend time talking about the last election, I don’t think that’s the type of leadership we need, but that’s up to him.”
He added: “What comes out of his mouth is up to him.”
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Trump, in an exclusive interview with Fox News last month, said he will “probably” wait until after the 2022 midterm elections to formally announce whether he will run for president in 2024.
Trump told Fox News that timeline was “probably appropriate” but didn’t promise to stick to it.
“A lot of people are waiting for that decision to be made,” Trump told Fox News, adding that “a lot of great people who are thinking about running are waiting for that decision, because they’re not going to run if I run.”
“We have a lot, they’re all very well named,” he said of the GOP White House hopefuls. “But almost all of them said if I run, they’ll never run.”
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He added: “And that’s nice, primarily because it shows a great degree of loyalty and respect.”
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie listens as President Trump speaks during a news conference in the Briefing Room of the White House on Sept. 27, 2020 in Washington.
(Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)
But Christie, who ran for president in 2016, left the door open on whether he would mount another presidential bid in 2024.
“I certainly wouldn’t rule it out,” Christie said. “We’ll see what happens this year.”
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Christie said he is focused on the 2022 midterm elections. Christie is helping to chair a fundraising effort of the Republican Governors Association and told Fox News he is working to co-chair the National Republican Redistricting Trust to ensure that states going through redistricting have the “legal and financial support they need for fair maps.”
“And as for 2024,” Christie continued. “I wouldn’t rule it out.”
Meanwhile, Christie said he hopes Republicans don’t focus on the 2020 election as they campaign for 2022.
“That’s part of the reason I write the book — to be able to give people the facts they need to refute this,” Christie said. “We need to focus on this runaway inflation, the horrible situation at the border, the problem with our educational system.”
He added: “I think those are issues the American people care much more about.”
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“Let’s not spend time on the past,” Christie said, referring to Republicans who claim the 2020 election was “stolen.”
“The public always wants elections to be about tomorrow, not about yesterday, and that’s a good thing,” Christie said. “That means we have an optimistic country that believes that America could be better tomorrow than it is today, and I believe that.”