Chris Christie dropped out of the presidential race for the White House this Wednesday, announcing during a town hall in New Hampshire hours before his two rivals Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley clash in the fifth Republican presidential debate.
“It’s clear to me tonight that there is no way to win the nomination,” Christie told voters gathered at the caucus. “That is why I am suspending my campaign for President of the United States.”
“I want to make this promise to you: I will make sure that under no circumstances will Donald Trump be allowed to become president of the United States again. And that is more important than my own personal ambition.”
The announcement comes just days before state caucuses, which mark the start of presidential primaries.
Does Christina’s departure benefit Haley?
Christie was under intense pressure to drop out of the race as critics of Donald Trump worked to unite behind a viable Republican alternative to the former president.
Those calling for Christie’s withdrawal speculated that this would help Haley rally moderate conservative votes in a way that could give Trump more weight, after DeSantis’ candidacy lost the steam it started with when I thought it was conservative. An alternative to the controversial former president.
However, according to NBC News sources, Christie is not expected to make an endorsement pending the results of the Iowa caucuses next Monday.
Christie, the most anti-Trump candidate among Republicans
The dropout is surprising, as Christie staked his campaign’s success on the nation’s first primary in New Hampshire, which is less than two weeks away. A day earlier, he had insisted that he had no plans to quit the race.
“I would love to put out a person who is actually running against Donald Trump,” he said at a town hall in Rochester, New Hampshire, while arguing that none of his rivals have come forward.
Without Christie in the picture, former President Donald Trump loses one of the sharpest critics he’s had during the 2024 nomination campaign.
Unlike the rest of the former president’s rivals, Christie has been decrying the prospect of a new Trump presidency, seeing him as a danger to the Republican Party and the country from the start.
His speech did not resonate much with Republican voters, as it showed that Trump was well established in first place in the polls and that Christie was considered the most rejected of the candidates who ran. 2024 primary.
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