Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) made his feelings known on Sunday, regarding his view about whether former President Donald Trump would attend the GOP primary debates.
Christie said he believes Trump will “show up at the debates because his ego won’t permit him not to,” during an interview for an opinion article with the New York Times’s Maureen Dowd.
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“I think that he’ll show up at the debates because his ego won’t permit him not to,” Christie said. “He can’t have a big TV show that he’s not on.”
“He’s on Truth Social going bonkers, and no one’s paying attention? He won’t deal well with that,” the former governor added.
The former governor claims he is capable of beating Trump at a debate due to his assistance in preparing Trump for his previous debates, both in 2016 and 2020. He has also called on the former president to commit to attending the GOP primary debate, and said on Friday that he will “shame” Trump into showing up alongside his Republican competitors.
Christie further touted his New Jersey roots, which he said he believes will help him campaign against Trump because he understands “what the New York thing is.”
“I don’t think he’s ever gone up against somebody who knows how to do what he does,” Christie said, adding the former president has, “never run against somebody from New Jersey who understands what the New York thing is and what he’s all about. For people like me, who’ve grown up here and lived my whole life in this atmosphere, he’s just one of a lot of people I know who have that personality. He knows I know what his game is.”
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Trump has not yet confirmed his intent to attend the debates, and has stood behind his defense that he should not have to debate his opponents as long as he remains leading in recent polls.