GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie criticized former President Donald Trump for his “selfish” anti-debate rhetoric, suggesting Trump is scared of competition.
What Happened: Christie, the former Governor of New Jersey, claimed in a CNN interview that Trump’s call for the Republican National Committee, or RNC, to cancel remaining primary debates is merely to avoid exposure to challenging candidates.
"He wants to end these things for purely selfish reasons because he doesn't want to give exposure to the candidates who are challenging him out there," Christie said, adding, "He has no validity to the point he's making. He's ducking these debates."
"It's wrong and it's disrespectful to Republican voters and that's why I'm going to continue to push for these debates to go forward."
Why It Matters: Trump, despite a strong polling lead, has deliberately missed the initial two primary debates and is likely to miss the next. Christie consistently criticized Trump’s absence and lack of respect towards Republican voters.
Christie also challenged Trump’s rationale, arguing that national polls do not provide a full image of the primary campaign. He further addressed Trump’s absence at Wednesday’s debate, expressing disappointment that few other candidates took the opportunity to criticize Trump. "I know all the media organizations pay for these national polls and they are a monumental waste of time and money," he said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley also expressed their disapproval of Trump’s decision at the second GOP debate held earlier this week.
The upcoming GOP primary debate is set for Nov. 8 in Miami.
Photo by Christopher Halloran on Shutterstock
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