Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is content with his infamous hot mic snafu in which he insisted Nikki Haley was going to “smoke” minutes before she bowed out of the 2024 contest last month.
Christie, 61, was speaking to co-anchor George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “Good Morning America” when he admitted he made a mistake, but revealed the “funniest part” of the debacle.
“I’ll tell you, George, it was a total mistake, but the way I found out was actually the funniest part of the story,” Christie said.
Christie was on the verge of announcing that he would suspend his campaign at a town hall in Windham, New Hampshire, when The Post overheard him on a video feed promoted by his campaign complaining about the state of the race.
He didn’t realize that his farewell photo that Haley “wasn’t willing to do” was being streamed live — until he got a phone call.
Chris Christie wants Nikki Haley to take a stronger stance against Donald Trump. In recent weeks, he has stepped up his attacks on the former president. AP
“I have my phone vibrate, but the only person whose ringtone breaks when I vibrate is my son, Andrew. And the phone rang, and I picked it up, and I said, ‘I’m getting ready to go out,’ and he goes, ‘Mic hot! The microphone is hot! The microphone is hot!’”
The next day, Christie received a call from Haley, who had surpassed him in the New Hampshire polls, a state where he effectively backed his presidential campaign.
“It was a 45-second conversation. He told me, ‘I know it’s a personal decision and an internal race. And it was a difficult decision to leave. I heard everything you said last night, including the hot mic.’ And I said, ‘Uh-huh,’” Christie recounted.
EXCLUSIVE: “No one in leadership is willing to do the hard work to reject Donald Trump’s lies.”
Former GOP candidate Chris Christie spoke out against former Pres. Trump and the Republican party in an exclusive interview with @GStephanopoulos. pic.twitter.com/nzvtaRVJLy
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 6, 2024
They wish each other good luck. Christie insisted that he had nothing to apologize for on the hot mic, and had no intention of endorsing Haley.
“I made a decision in 2016 — the only time in my political career where I supported someone purely for political reasons, even though I had misgivings. And that’s why I support Donald Trump,” he said.
“It was the biggest mistake I made in my political career. And I will not repeat that mistake.”
Latest coverage of Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign
Christie has long quibbled with Haley’s willingness to support the eventual Republican nominee for president — despite the nod going to Trump.
Stating that he would not vote for Trump “under any circumstances,” Christie explained that he was not sure who he would vote for in the New Jersey primary or the general election.
“I’ll probably just skip that part,” he said of the primer, noting he won’t be writing in himself.
The Garden State Republican argued that the 2024 contenders failed to adequately attack Donald Trump. AP
“I don’t know who the full field is going to be. And there might be a No Labels candidate that I might see,” Christie added about the general election.
He also refused to rule out a bid for the White House on the No Labels ticket, describing this election cycle as a rare time when a third-party contender might be able to make a difference.
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“It will be a long conversation with me and [wife] Mary Pat,” he said. “What I’ve said in the past is that I have to see a path for anybody, not just me … to 270 electoral votes.”
Donald Trump beat his primary rivals in the first two contests. POOL/AFP via Getty Images The former New Jersey governor argues that the GOP has strayed far from Reaganism. AP
For Democrats, Christie has simple advice: “Replace Joe Biden.”
“I just think Joe Biden is probably the only major Democrat that Donald Trump can beat,” he said. “I like President Biden personally, always, but, you know, past the sell-by date.”
On Tuesday, Christie’s new book “What Would Reagan Do? Life Lessons from the Last Great President” on the bookshelf.
The book describes the legacy of former President Ronald Reagan and the state of the Republican Party.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
