Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, one of the few potential Republican presidential candidates willing to directly attack Donald J. Trump, clashed with the former president on Wednesday over his reported reluctance to participate in presidential debates.
“Obviously he’s scared,” Mr. Christie, a Trump defenseman turned critic, taunted in an interview with conservative media personality Hugh Hewitt. “He’s afraid to go on stage against people who are serious.”
Mr. Trump, the current Republican pollster, appears likely to skip at least one of the first two debates of the 2024 Republican presidential nominee contest, indicating he is not looking to elevate his lower-polling rivals. Several of them — most notably Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to announce his campaign soon — have been hesitant to confront Trump head-on, a sign of the reign he still has over much of the Republican base.
“If he really cares about the country – and I have deep questions about that – but if he really cares about the country then he will go there and not be afraid,” Mr Christie said. He added: “In fact, if his ideas are that great, if his leadership is that excellent, then his lead will only increase when he takes the stage, not decrease.”
Asked for comment, Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Mr Trump, replied: “Who?”
He said Mr Christie “has no idea what he’s talking about and should stick to a talking head rather than trying to play the part of a candidate.”
In the interview, Mr. Christie – currently polling 1 to 2 percent – also indicated that he would make a decision on his own presidential plans in the next two weeks.
“The presidency is not a scripted exercise, which is why I think debates are important,” Christie said.
He suggested that Mr Trump, who continues to lie about the integrity of the 2020 election, was reluctant to debate “because he doesn’t have many serious answers to the problems the country is currently facing. All he wants to do is go back and rerun the 2020 election because his feelings are hurt. He is a child in that regard.”
