Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is launching his second presidential campaign Tuesday in New Hampshire.
A few hours before his announcement, Christie filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission formalizing his candidacy.
The former governor, who ran for president in 2016, views himself as someone who can stand up to and present a contrast with former President Donald Trump, the early front-runner in the polls. Christie, who was once a Trump ally, may be the only candidate in the race so far who is willing to openly criticize former President Donald Trump on a regular basis.
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After Trump’s appearance in a CNN town hall in May, Christie tweeted reminders of what the former president had promised and what he did not deliver:
“More nonsense from Donald Trump last night. Fact: He promised to build a big beautiful wall on the border. Fact: He did not deliver & immigrants are pouring over the border. Fact: He said Mexico would pay for it. Fact: We have not gotten one peso yet. He failed us on immigration.”
He called the former president a “coward” and a “puppet” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At a town hall in March, Christie foreshadowed what his own presidential candidacy would look like.
“You better have somebody on that stage who can do to him what I did to Marco [Rubio], because that’s the only thing that’s gonna defeat Donald Trump,” he said at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. “And that means you have to be fearless, because he will come back, and right at you.”
The mention of Sen. Marco Rubio was a reference to a 2016 presidential primary debate when Christie had memorably — and effectively — ripped into Rubio, mocking him for “memorized 30-second speeches” that he repeated several times during the debate.
Christie enters an increasingly crowded Republican primary — he’s the ninth candidate, so far. Former Vice President Mike Pence and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum are each planning to announce the launch of their respective campaigns Wednesday.
The large field threatens to fragment Republican primary support, a dynamic that led to Trump’s 2016 primary victory. In May, Christie said the fear this could happen again in 2024 would not keep him out of the race.
“I think that analysis is a retrospective analysis. And every time you look at the next election through the prism of the last one then one thing I can guarantee you for sure is you’re wrong,” he said in May. He added, “Remember, in 2016, no one knew who Donald Trump was going to be as a political figure.”
Trump shared on social media a Make America Great Again response to Christie’s candidacy from spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt: “Ron DeSantis’ campaign is spiraling, and President Trump’s dominance over the Republican primary field has opened a mad rush to seize the mantle for runner-up. Ron DeSantis is not ready for this moment, and Chris Christie will waste no time eating DeSantis’ lunch.”
How to watch Chris Christie launches presidential campaign, aiming to present contrast with Trump
- What: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie launches presidential campaign
- Date: June 6, 2023
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Location: St. Anselm College, Goffstown, New Hampshire
- Online stream: Live on CBS News player above and on your mobile or streaming device.
