Chris Christie was in Miami, Florida on Friday to host a town hall with Florida voters as part of his run for the Republican presidential nomination. Christie wasted no time in going after the state’s Gov. Ron DeSantis, who he accused of protecting rival Donald Trump.
Christie said, “The only way to beat someone is to beat them. If he thinks he’s going to get on the stage and defend Donald Trump on Wednesday night, then he should do Donald Trump a favor and do our party a favor: come back to Tallahassee, endorse Donald Trump, and get the hell out of the race.”
The former New Jersey governor was speaking out in reference to a memo posted on the website of Axiom Strategies, a Republican firm with direct ties to the pro-DeSantis super PAC “Never Back Down.” Among other things, the memo (first shared by the New York Times) suggested that DeSantis “take a sledgehammer” to rival Vivek Ramaswamy — and that he come to the defense of the legally embattled Trump specifically if Christie attacks him at next week’s debate in Milwaukee.
The Times later reported that the memo was taken off the website after the outlet reached out to Axiom for comment.
CNN’s Omar Jimenez spoke with Christie about the upcoming debate and what he hopes it will do for his campaign. After being asked what he hopes to accomplish next Wednesday, Christie said, “[To] get seen by more people. I listen to the question, I try to answer it. And if somebody else says something on the stage I think is stupid, I try to point it out. That’s about … that’s the depth of our strategy.”
Jimenez also spoke with voters who seem to support Christie’s message. As one attendee told the reporter, “He does speak his mind, and I find that really refreshing in a presidential candidate.”
It’s clear in the reporting that Christie believes he has a shot at waging a successful campaign. He told reporters in Miami, “The people who are going to vote for me feel strongly about it, and we’re going to increase those numbers.”
Christie told Jimenez that this time, experience is on his side. In reference to his failed 2016 bid for the presidency, Christie said, “When you do stuff for a second time, at least for me, I always do it better. The second time that I do it, [unlike] the first, I feel really relaxed and comfortable.”
He added, “And I know I’m speaking the truth, and I think that’s going to matter to people in the long run.”
Watch the entire CNN feature on Christie’s Miami town hall in the video above.
