Christie: DeSantis Unknown Outside Tallahassee

“He’s done a good job as the governor of Florida. I don’t think anybody can argue with that, but that’s very different than running for president of the United States. None of us really know what he’ll be like on the national stage. If he decides to run, I’ll be interested to watch and compete with him.”

— Former Gov. Chris Christie (R) told The Dispatch that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) strong early polling numbers in a Republican presidential primary aren’t worth much.

Christie Roasts Trump

“We have a former president of the United States who went on national television last night and said ‘I declassified the documents thinking about it.’ Imagine all I could have accomplished if I only knew that I didn’t actually have to do it. I just had to think about it – this is a credible candidate for 2024.” He added: “There is a sector of our party, which cannot find themselves genetically unable to not defend Donald Trump… This is a disaster. It’s bad for the country.”

— Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) “got lots of laughs at the expense of ex-President Donald Trump while lamenting the current state of national politics at an upstate business convention Thursday night,” the New York Post reports.

Christie Predicts Trump Would Retaliate on Senators Who Vote for Witnesses

“You could very well see the president encouraging or creating primaries against senators that are up this year if they went and voted the other way I could definitely see him at least attempting to do that.”

— Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) told ABC News that President Trump might target Republican senators who vote for additional witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial.

Christie: Why Are No Republicans Defending Trump?

“The interesting thing is that there hasn’t been one Republican yet who has tried to defend the president on the substance, and I think that’s something that should be concerning to the White House. Why are no Republicans standing up and defending the president on the substance?”

— Former Gov. Chris Christie (R), in an interview on ABC News about the Michael Cohen hearings.

Christie Explains Trump’s Nickname Taxonomy

“If he respects you, you don’t get a nickname, because he’s afraid what’s going to come back. So Cryin’ Chuck Schumer gets a nickname, because he has no respect for Schumer. But Nancy Pelosi’s got no nickname. It’s just Nancy. And if she doesn’t have a nickname by now, she ain’t getting any.”

— Chris Christie, quoted by Axios, on President Trump’s nicknames for his rivals.

Christie to Commission $85,000 Official Governor Portrait

$85,000

Bergen County Record: “To most people, the image that sums up Chris Christie’s time as governor is the picture of him on that beach closed to everyone else, in that chair with his family and friends while the public was shut out of state parks on a holiday weekend during a government shutdown. … The image that Christie wants to officially mark his time as governor and the one that the public is paying for will be painted by an Australian artist whose portrait portfolio includes royalty and an international pop star — and whose fee comes with the highest price tag yet for New Jersey taxpayers. At a total of $85,000, Christie’s portrait will cost more than what his three predecessors combined paid to have their images hang in commemoration of their political service.”