SIMI VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: The GOP presidential debate on Wednesday night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA, took a fiery turn as former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie unleashed a barrage of criticism against former President Donald Trump.
In a spirited exchange, Christie, a fellow 2024 Republican presidential candidate, confronted Trump for his absence and accused him of dodging important campaign-related events.
Chris Christie lashes out at Donald Trump
Christie, a known critic of Trump, seized the opportunity to challenge the former president's commitment to "law and order" in the country.
"We've got to bring law and order back to this country and not just in our cities, but we need law and order back everywhere," Christie said.
"When you go on our back in our suburbs, people are threatened there. We need it in our rural areas. People feel threatened there and we need it in Washington, D.C. also. And Donald Trump should be here to answer for that, but he's not."
He pointedly addressed Trump through the camera, stating, "Donald, I know you're watching. You can't help yourself. I know you're watching. Okay. And you're not here tonight, not because of polls and not because of your indictments. You're not here tonight because you're afraid of being on this stage and defending your record."
Accusing Trump of evading campaign events, Christie quipped, "You’re ducking these things. And let me tell you what’s going to happen: You keep doing that, no one up here is going to call you Donald Trump anymore, we’re gonna call you Donald Duck."
In response, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, dismissing Christie as a "bum" and highlighting his low approval ratings as Governor of New Jersey.
“Chris Christie is talking about the job he did as Governor. He had a 9% approval rating. N.J. wanted to throw the “bum” out,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Also, I built almost 500 miles of Wall (not 50, Sloppy Chris!), got Mexico to give us 28,000 soldiers (free of charge!), and had the safest and best Border in U.S. History, with record low drugs coming in!” he added.
Social media reactions to Chris Christie's jibe
Trump's supporters rallied to his defense on social media, criticizing Christie's jibe, with some even comparing him to "Porky Pig" from Looney Tunes.
"And you’re Porky Pig," the official parody account for Donald Trump posted on X.
"I'm embarrassed for Chris Christie. He needs to fire whoever came up with that ridiculous line," another user added.
"Terrible joke. 2-out-of-10. Ruined that whole rant which was solid before that. Smh," a comment read.
"He practiced that line for a while and waited for his moment," someone else chimed in.
"He acts like he is mad that President Trump didn't bring him something from the drive-thru," another quipped.
The seven candidates sharing the debate stage included North Dakota Gov Doug Burgum, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen Tim Scott of South Carolina, and the focal point of the exchange, Chris Christie.
Trump's absence from the debate has been a recurring theme in his campaign. He has consistently cited his lead in the polls as the reason for his non-participation. Instead of joining his fellow 2024 Republican contenders on stage, Trump chose to deliver a speech to autoworkers in Michigan, providing counterprogramming for the debate.
