Staunch critic of Trump suspended participation in U.S. presidential race
Presidential candidate from the Republican Party Chris Christie (photo: Wikipedia)
Former Governor of New Jersey and prominent Republican figure Chris Christie has suspended his presidential campaign. Christie is known for his sarcastic and critical remarks about Donald Trump, according to The New York Times.
Christie made this decision under pressure from his party on Wednesday, January 10.
"And it's clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination, which is why I'm suspending my campaign tonight for president of the United States," he said at an event in Windham, New Hampshire.
This decision effectively concludes the Republican presidential race, removing the most aggressive opponent to Trump from the field. Christie was the only prominent contender who argued that Trump was unfit for office. This assertion essentially doomed his candidacy from the start.
The politician's exit from the presidential race was briefly overshadowed when he was caught on a hot microphone openly discussing two of his rivals, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis.
"She’s going to get smoked, and you and I both know it. She’s not up to this," Christie said.
"DeSantis called me, petrified," he added.
As reported by The New York Times, Mr. Trump immediately seized on these remarks, posting on Truth Social, a social media platform, that Mr. Christie's messages about Ms. Haley were a very truthful statement.
Elections in the United States and challenges with Trump's candidacy
The next presidential elections in the United States are scheduled for November 5, 2024.
According to forecasts, the main Democratic candidate will be the incumbent American leader, Joe Biden. Among the Republicans, in addition to Donald Trump, seven candidates initially ran, but after Chris Christie's withdrawal, they are now six. One of the leading Republican favorites, along with Trump, is considered to be Nikki Haley.
On December 28, Donald Trump's name was removed from the ballot in the Maine primaries. The head of the state's election commission, Shenna Bellows, noted that the decision was based on the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits those involved in or organizers of insurrection from participating in elections, a designation that the court applied to the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021.
On December 20, the Colorado Supreme Court also barred Trump from participating in the state's primaries under the 14th Amendment.
Trump's team appealed these decisions to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court's decision is likely to have implications nationwide.
