Christie says he would support Haley and DeSantis for president but not Trump or Biden

Former New Jersey Gov. and Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie admitted he would vote for rivals Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley if they won the Republican nomination for president.

“Do you think Gov. DeSantis and Gov. Haley are fit to be president of the United States?” conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt asked Christie on Thursday. Christie said both candidates are qualified and fit to be the president someday, and he said he would “absolutely” support either one of them.

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The former governor emphasized that he would remain in the presidential race despite facing increasing pressure to drop out.

He told Hewitt he would not support former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden if they were the nominees, a situation that remains possible as the two candidates continue to dominate polls for their respective parties.

“If Donald Trump for the Republican nominee, against Joe Biden for the Democratic nominee, who will Chris Christie vote for?” Hewitt asked Christie.

“At this point, I wouldn’t vote for either one of them,” Christie responded.

When pressed further on what he would do in that situation, Christie said he would “vote down-ballot” instead.

“This is not news,” Christie told Hewitt of his refusal to support Trump. “I’ve been saying this from the beginning. I’m the guy who didn’t raise my hand on the stage when they asked me if you would support him if he was a convicted felon.”

Christie has made his sharp criticisms of the former president one of the focus points of his campaign. The former governor admitted that his endorsement of Trump in 2016 was a “mistake” in an ad that was released Thursday.

“I have an admission to make: Eight years ago, I endorsed Donald Trump because he was winning. I was wrong,” Christie said in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday. “Unlike everyone else in this race, I can admit when I make a mistake. In the end, the most important characteristic of any candidate for president of the United States is simple: character.”

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Although he admitted DeSantis and Haley were both fit to be president, Christie has also attacked his opponents for not standing against Trump. He accused both candidates of running for the 2028 election instead of the current one, or to be Trump’s vice president “in Nikki’s case.”

The former governor is currently polling in fifth place for the Republican nomination overall, with 3.3% of the Republican vote nationally, according to RealClearPolitics. Christie is also hoping for a strong finish in New Hampshire, where he currently polls in third place behind Trump and Haley.