Christie’s exit is jolted as hot mic picks up his unvarnished view of rivals

Former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey suspended his presidential campaign Wednesday, but he undermined his effort to stop Donald Trump when he sweepingly dismissed his Republican rivals during a hot-mic moment.

Minutes before his announcement in Windham, New Hampshire, Christie could be heard on the event’s livestream, saying, “She’s going to get smoked, and you and I both know it,” in a reference to Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor. “She’s not up to this.” He added of Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, “DeSantis called me, petrified.”

Trump immediately seized on the remarks, writing on Truth Social that Christie’s comments about Haley, who appears to be the most significant obstacle to a Trump victory in New Hampshire, were a “very truthful statement.”

In his speech, Christie did not endorse any of his rivals, nor did he address their prospects against Trump, dashing the hopes of Republican moderates that his exit would unify remaining members of the party who oppose Trump.

In fact, Christie denounced his opponents’ long-running public deference to the former president and offered no positive remarks about their candidacies.

“I would rather lose by telling the truth than lie in order to win,” he said. “And I feel no differently today, because this is a fight for the soul of our party and the soul of our country.”

His departure, which came after mounting pressure from within his party, effectively ends a phase of the Republican presidential contest, removing from the field its most aggressive Trump critic. He was the only prominent contender who declared that Trump was unfit for office — an argument that all but doomed his candidacy from the start.

Despite Christie’s withering criticisms of his rivals, his decision could turn the primary election in New Hampshire on Jan. 23 into a two-person race between Trump and Haley. Her positions on foreign policy, national security and the rule of law broadly overlap with Christie’s, and she will hope to consolidate never-Trump Republicans and independents behind her.

After Christie’s speech, Haley praised him as “a friend for many years,” commending him in a statement “on a hard-fought campaign” but making no reference to the hot-mic comments. “I will fight to earn every vote,” she said.

On Wednesday, DeSantis had called Christie to express his appreciation for his role in the contest, according to two people with knowledge of the call. During their conversation, Christie mocked Haley and said she was not up to the task, the people said.

DeSantis wrote on social media Wednesday, “I agree with Christie that Nikki Haley is ‘going to get smoked.’”

Recent polls have shown Haley narrowing the gap against Trump in New Hampshire, and her backing combined with Christie’s support has sometimes equaled or bettered the former president’s. A CNN/University of New Hampshire poll released Tuesday found Trump with 39% support, Haley with 32% and Christie with 12%.

Christie, a former U.S. attorney, built his candidacy around a prosecutorial argument about his domineering rival’s unsuitability for office. He steadfastly refused to water down his denunciations of Trump, a onetime ally turned bitter antagonist, even as most of his rivals labored to find a middle ground of praise and subtle contrasts.

That bold stance, and Republican voters’ lack of tolerance for it, left Christie trailing far behind in polls and fundraising, managing to grab a foothold only in independent-minded New Hampshire. Yet the former governor regularly found himself in the shadow of Haley in the Granite State during the closing months of the campaign, with Gov. Chris Sununu endorsing Haley in December and later calling on Christie to withdraw from the race.

For weeks, Christie rebuffed any suggestion that he should drop out, stressing the argument that his role as Trump’s chief critic in a dwindling Republican field was vital.

As recently as Tuesday, he spoke at length about his reasons for forging ahead.

“Let’s say I dropped out of the race right now, and I supported Nikki Haley,” he said. “And then three months from now, four months from now, we get ready to go to the convention. She comes out and is his vice president. What would it look like? What will all the people who supported her at my behest look like when she’s up on a stage in Milwaukee with her hands up like this with Donald Trump?”

Some of Christie’s supporters expressed disappointment after his event Wednesday. Toni Pappas, a Hillsborough County commissioner from Manchester, New Hampshire, was one of them, but said, “I think he did something very noble and patriotic.”

Tom Barton, a self-described libertarian from Washington, New Hampshire, who planned to vote for Christie, said he could not see himself supporting another Republican. “They don’t have the courage to tell the truth about Trump,” he said.

Still, most Republican voters had remained firmly opposed to Christie, who trudged on without changing his approach. If anything, his resolve to attack the former president increased.

“The future of this country is going to be determined here,” Christie told a crowd at a New Hampshire brewery in September, clutching an IPA. It was a warning he would issue at nearly every campaign stop. “If Donald Trump wins here, he will be our nominee. Everything that happens after that is going to be on our party and on our country. It’s up to you.”