Editor's note: Jake Tapper's opening remarks about Trump were corrected.
Former New Jersey governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie hit back at ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday after Trump body-shamed Christie in an attack ad preceding his formal announcement.
"So Trump last night in response to you running, ran a rather mocking video on social media. There it is. It's, it's you, I guess he's, he's making fun of your weight. That's his 'we're gonna be small.' That's, that's his response. What, what did you make of that? What was your response to that?" CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked Christie, who held nothing back.
"You know, when I saw Jake, I, I just renewed in my own mind what a child he is. He's a baby. Whenever you want to criticize him in any way, that's the way he responds," Christie said.
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"And you and I are both lucky enough to be parents, and if we had a child who conducted themselves like that we'd send them to their room, not to the White House," Christie continued. "And I think character is destiny for this country, and we've gotta make a decision about what the character of the person should be, who sits behind the desk in the Oval Office, and if they're gonna do that kind of stuff? I mean, it doesn't even, it's, it's, it's so childish. It's so juvenile. He is such a spoiled baby that, you know, I, beyond that, what, what can he even say about something like that? That's that ridiculous."
Christie was not done, however.
"You know, I, if we wanna break news here today, I've struggled with my weight for about twenty years like tens of millions of Americans," Christie added.
"The devil you say," Tapper noted.
"Right? Exactly," Christie replied. "So he's breaking news there. He's telling people something they don't know. In the end, for me, it's about how you perform as a person, what kind of heart you have, and I'll put mine up against his any day of the week."
Christie posted the clip to Twitter, captioning with:
When a spoiled baby misbehaves, you send them to their room, not the White House. At his advanced age, it is time to give up hope that Trump will ever grow up. We need a leader, not a child.
Watch the segment below or at this link.
READ MORE: 'Unluckiest SOB in the world': Chris Christie unloads on Donald Trump