Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has accused Donald Trump of hiding behind his “failed social media site” Truth Social.
Mr Christie branded the former president a “coward” after he shared notorious images of Mr Christie that prompted the so-called “beachgate” scandal.
In the infamous photos, the then-governor was seen sunbathing on a New Jersey beach in 2017 – at a time when beaches were closed to the public due to a state government shutdown.
Mr Trump called Mr Christie, who is running against him in the 2024 presidential election, a “grifter” and attacked his record as governor of New Jersey as he reshared the images to his Truth Social followers earlier this week.
In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Mr Christie responded to the attack, blaming the former president’s late-night Truth Social rants on “bad Chinese food” and challenging him to face him in a debate.
“He doesn’t like when people stand up to him and call him out on the nonsense that he’s involved in,” Mr Christie said.
“And I guess he had a bad night last night, maybe ate some bad Chinese food or something, Wolf. Well, 11.30 at night, a little indigestion, decided to attack me.”
He added: “Keep it coming, Donald.
“And by the way, if he had any guts, he’d get on the debate stage. And he’s got things to say about me.”
Appering to address Mr Trump, he said: “’Stop hiding behind your social media site, your failed social media site, Donald, and start taking me on directly. Show up. Stop being a coward.’”
Mr Christie – once a close ally of Mr Trump – was one of the first prominent Republicans to endorse him for president back in 2016.
He also helped to prep Mr Trump for debates during the 2016 presidential election. But Mr Christie has since become one of Mr Trump’s biggest critics and is now running against him in the 2024 race.
In the interview with CNN, Mr Christie went on to slam Mr Trump for his refusal to participate in any Republican primary debates so far in the election cycle, blaming the former president’s record in office.
He said: “If I had his record, I wouldn’t want to debate either.
Chris Christie at a rally event earlier this year— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
“He said he was going to balance the budget in four years, as a business man. He added $7trn to the national debt. Said he was going to build a ‘big, beautiful wall’ across the entire border of Mexico. He built 52 miles of new wall in four years. And he said Mexico was gonna pay for it. They never did.
“He said he was gonna repeal and replace Obamacare. He had a Republican Congress, he couldn’t get it done. Look, that’s not a record to be proud of.
He continued: “He doesn’t want to face me. I prepared him for the debates in 2016. I prepared him for the debates in 2020. He knows what that’s like. He doesn’t want the American people to see it. I do.”
Mr Christie previously said that he will not vote for Mr Trump if he wins the 2024 presidential Republican nomination and has vowed not to pardon him if he becomes president.
Recent polling suggests Mr Christie is moving past Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the New Hampshire primary, but Mr Trump is still in the lead for the Republican nomination.
