Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Sunday that Vivek Ramaswamy “is not a serious candidate for president of the United States.”
Appearing on Fox News’s MediaBuzz, Christie said, “What he’s become is someone who likes to get interviewed on TV.”
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Ramaswamy has recently faced several controversies for appearing to change his positions on various policies.
“I don’t think he’s a serious contender,” Christie added.
“Anybody who wants to treat Israel like we treat any other country in the Middle East, anybody who wants to give away Taiwan to the Chinese by 2028, anybody who thinks that — this week [Russian President] Vladimir Putin meets with [North Korean Supreme Leader] Kim Jong Un — that he thinks he’s going to be able to go over to Russia and convince Vladimir Putin to break from Kim Jong Un, the mullahs in Iran and President Xi of China — all autocratic leaders — to be friends with us? This is a guy who lives in his own world,” he explained.
In a statement from Ramaswamy campaign spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, she said, “We wish Chris Christie the best of luck in his continued efforts to get his CNN contract renewed.”
Christie joined other candidates in attacking Ramaswamy during the Republican debate last month. “I’ve had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT,” the former New Jersey governor said at the time.
“The last person in one of these debates who stood in the middle of the stage and said, ‘What’s a skinny guy with an odd last name doing up here,’ was Barack Obama,” he claimed, accusing Ramaswamy of plagiarizing the line.
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However, Ramswamy, along with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), was deemed a winner of the debate in a subsequent poll. But the largest bump in momentum was seen in former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, whose debate performance appeared to impress Republicans.
In national polling conducted by Morning Consult, Ramaswamy is the pick of 8%, while Christie has 3%. Former President Donald Trump remains the front runner for Republican primary voters, expanding his share to 60%.
