Previous New Jersey On Saturday, Governor Chris Christie (R) ribbed his old friend, former President Donald Trump, about the smaller crowds he drew to the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Trump has long taken pride in the enormous and enthusiastic crowds he has been able to attract, mocking his opponents who are unable to do so. Christie, who has not ruled out a run in 2024, argued that Trump’s lacklustre performance at CPAC was indicative of his waning influence.
Christie said on ABC’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos, “You saw the scenes at CPAC, that room was half-full.” “The reason I do not believe the rallies are occurring is… I do not believe the rallies would be as large as they were previously.”
CPAC 2023 had lower attendance than previous iterations of the prestigious conservative gathering. While Trump drew significantly larger crowds than his 2024 GOP opponents who spoke at the conference, reporters captured footage of some empty seats in the Potomac Ballroom during his address.
“Look, there is no doubt that he is the frontrunner. In essence, he is a sitting president seeking renomination, not reelection. Consequently, he is currently the frontrunner,” Christie continued.
“There are numerous indications that he is not what he once was in most respects,” he continued. Therefore, we will observe how that develops.
BREAKING: There might have been even less people at former President Trump‘s CPAC speech tonight than there were at his son’s speech where he attacked disabled people.
Who else can’t wait for Trump to post a doctored image of his crowd size again? pic.twitter.com/Bgq1svswDh… https://t.co/6iWgWdCIcL
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) March 5, 2023
Christie befriended Trump while serving as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey in the 2000s. Later, in the 2016 election cycle, he ran against him before dropping out and endorsing him. Since Trump’s departure from the White House, Christie’s public criticism of the former president has increased, provoking Trump’s ire.
Trump stated prior to his CPAC address that he would not withdraw from the 2024 presidential race if he was indicted by one of the numerous investigations surrounding him.
Christie pondered, “Well, what the hell else is he going to say?” regarding Trump’s determination. “If you’re indicted, you have to say that, otherwise it’s a death sentence.”
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