Interestingly, his announcement speech was rife with criticism for former President Donald Trump and praise for past President Woodrow Wilson, which came across as a critique of George Washington's policy stance.
Christie's relationship with Trump has been complex, with his endorsement of Trump in 2016 taking a dramatic turn in the wake of the Russia collusion investigation and events that unfolded at Capitol Hill on January 6. In his recent speech, Christie was vocal about his disdain for Trump's approach during his presidency, particularly his divisive rhetoric.
He lamented, "We have leaders who have led us to being small. Small by their example. Small by the way they conduct themselves. Small by the things they tell us we should care about. Smaller and smaller." Christie elaborated on his point, emphasizing the danger of shrinking social circles and echo chambers, accusing leaders of encouraging divisive groupings based on comfort and agreement.
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According to Christie, Republicans, and Democrats have been guilty of exploiting this divisiveness. Christie called out former President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden for failing to unify Americans, despite their promises. He also singled out Trump for perpetuating such divisions.
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June 07, 2023
In an unexpected moment of self-awareness and humor, Christie asked those looking for the ideal candidate to leave. "If you are in search of the perfect candidate, it is time to leave," he quipped, resulting in a ripple of laughter. "I am not it. Not only am I not the perfect candidate, I am far from the perfect person." Christie further leveraged his admission to criticize Trump, suggesting leaders should be humble enough to admit their fallibility.
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"If your leaders are not willing to admit to you that they're fallible, that they make mistakes, that they hurt like you, that they bleed like you, and that they suffer disappointments and letdowns, beware," Christie cautioned, explicitly citing Trump as an example.
June 07, 2023
One of the most widely circulated portions of Christie's speech was his criticism of George Washington's policy of non-intervention in foreign conflicts while extolling Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy. Wilson's presidency has often been criticized for his decision to involve America in World War I and his failure to negotiate a fair peace with Germany, which many argue laid the groundwork for World War II.
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"In 1917, when Europe was at war and dictatorships were taking over the entire continent, and America had followed the admonition of George Washington since its founding to stay out of foreign entanglements, Woodrow Wilson said, 'no, if America allows Europe to go under dictatorship, we will be next,'" Christie argued. "Franklin Roosevelt said the same thing 24 years later when Hitler and Mussolini and Hirohito decided that dictatorship is what was going to rule the world."
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However, Politico's recent polling data suggests that Christie faces a significant challenge. He is currently unpopular among Republican voters, with the highest unfavorable ratings among all candidates. Approximately sixty percent of those polled declared they would not support him under any circumstances. No other candidate has a negative rating nearly as high. The road to the nomination appears to be an uphill battle for Christie.
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