Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ended his 2024 presidential campaign on Jan. 10—but not before taking parting shots at GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, saying she is “gonna get smoked” in the 2024 race.
Ahead of his town hall in Windham, New Hampshire, Mr. Christie said, “I mean, look, she’s spent $68 million so far just on TV—spent $68 million so far … $59 million by DeSantis, and we spent $12 [million].
“I mean, who’s punching above their weight and who’s getting a return on their investment, you know? And she’s gonna get smoked. And you and I both know it. She’s not up to this.”
The Epoch Times has reached out to the Haley campaign for comment.
Ms. Haley released a statement, though it did not address Mr. Christie’s remark.
“Chris Christie has been a friend for many years. I commend him on a hard-fought campaign,” she said.
“Voters have a clear choice in this election: the chaos and drama of the past, or a new generation of conservative leadership.
“I will fight to earn every vote, so together we can build a strong and proud America,” she said.
Ms. Haley is polling third in Iowa and second in New Hampshire, according to most polls. Former President Donald Trump continues to dominate the polls.
Mr. Christie also said on the hot mic that GOP presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis “called me petrified.” The recording then cut out.
When asked for comment, the DeSantis campaign referred The Epoch Times to Mr. DeSantis’ post.
Mr. DeSantis concurred with Mr. Christie’s assessment of Ms. Haley.
“I agree with Christie that Nikki Haley is ‘going to get smoked,'” he posted on X, formerly Twitter.
President Trump, who has had a contentious relationship with Mr. Christie since the 2020 election, celebrated the hot mic moment.
“I hear Chris Christie is dropping out of the race today—I might even get to like him again! Anyway, he was just caught on a hot mic making a very truthful statement: ‘She’s gonna get smoked…You and I both know it, she’s not up to this,'” he posted on his social media site, Truth Social.
Mr. Christie’s hot mic moment and suspension of his campaign came one day after he said he would not drop out of the race.
Despite Mr. Christie’s prediction about Ms. Haley’s campaign, during the Dec. 6 GOP primary debate on NewsNation, he stood up for the former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Mr. Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy came to verbal blows over the businessman’s characterization of the latter.
“Foreign policy experience is not the same as foreign policy wisdom,” Mr. Ramaswamy told Ms. Haley, contending that she couldn’t “identify the provinces on a map [of Ukraine] that she wanted to send our troops to fight for.”
Mr. Christie shot back, telling Mr. Ramaswamy that he is the “most obnoxious blowhard in America” and to “shut up.”
“We’re now 25 minutes into this debate,” Mr. Christie said. “And he has assaulted Nikki Haley’s basic intelligence—not her positions, her basic intelligence.”
Mr. Ramaswamy brought up “Bridgegate,” where the Christie administration closed a bridge in what was apparently political retribution. Numerous investigations, including a Democrat one, cleared Mr. Christie of wrongdoing.
“This is a smart, accomplished woman, and you should stop insulting her,” Mr. Christie said to Mr. Ramaswamy, referring to Ms. Haley.
At the Hudson Institute in November, Mr. Christie slammed Ms. Haley, Mr. Ramaswamy, Mr. DeSantis and President Trump with criticisms ranging from foreign policy to temperament.
“It’s the fourth quarter of this game now everybody,” he said. “And that is the time for unserious people to get the hell off the stage.”
With Mr. Christie off the stage, it is unclear if he will endorse a candidate.
From The Epoch Times