'Thirsty hanger-on': Here’s the 'fatal error' Chris Christie made with his anti-Trump pivot

22 August 2023

Many critics of former President Donald Trump, from liberals and progressives to right-wing Never Trumpers, have accused his 2024 GOP presidential primary rivals of going much too easy on him. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and other candidates, according to that argument, have been offering only tepid criticism of the Republican presidential frontrunner.

But there are a few exceptions. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) have been much more biting in their criticism of Trump. Hurd has flat-out refused to sign a Republican National Committee (RNC) "loyalty pledge" — even if it means being excluded from debates.

Under the pledge, candidates agree to support the primary's eventual nominee — whoever that person turns out to be. Hurd told CNN, "I'm not going to support Donald Trump." Christie, meanwhile, has criticized the pledge as a "useless idea."

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During Trump's four years in the White House, Christie was a supporter — not a Never Trump conservative. Christie ran for president in 2016 but ended up dropping out of the primary and endorsing Trump.

Journalist Hamilton Nolan, in an op-ed published by MSNBC's website on August 22, argues that Christie's biting criticism of Trump is too little too late.

"Christie's problem is not that he is a venal man who stands for nothing; that is common enough among presidential candidates," Nolan laments. "His problem is that he is unable to pretend to stand for any particular thing long enough to convince a base of people that he can represent them. In a Republican Party defined by Trump, Christie made the fatal error, in 2016, of whiplashing from 'Never Trumper' to Trump acolyte faster than he could concoct a plausible cover story to explain it."

Nolan continues, "In doing so, he exposed himself to both the pro- and anti-Trump wings of the party as a thirsty hanger-on continually looking to sell out. That Christie has decided to jump back into the race this year, styling himself as a hard-nosed Trump critic once again, is little more than a testament to his infinite appetite for eating crow in exchange for attention."

Nolan goes on to argue that although the former New Jersey governor's "bluster" may "appeal to some aggrieved white men," he "cannot out-bluster Donald Trump."

"His 'reasonable pundit' persona may appeal to some Republicans yearning for a return to normalcy, but he cannot out-normal Tim Scott or Nikki Haley," Nolan writes. "His clear willingness to scapegoat anyone and cross any line in pursuit of power may appeal to the party's bullies, but he cannot out-bully Ron DeSantis. It is only a matter of time before Christie finds himself a two-time loser — just another governor who hit his head on the ceiling of national politics."

Read Hamilton Nolan's full MSNBC op-ed at this link.

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