Christie slammed Trump’s actions as described in the classified documents indictment and claimed a second Trump term would be worst than the first – because the former president would merely be settling scores with people who weren’t nice to him.
Christie — who endorsed Trump after dropping out of the 2016 primary and then became a close adviser to him ahead of the 2020 election — has said his past support was an error. Like in 2016, he is seeking to appeal to more traditionally conservative, establishment-friendly Republicans — and hopes to emerge as a foil to Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a rapidly growing field.
Our live coverage has ended. Read more about the town hall in the posts below.
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Fact-checking Chris Christie’s claims during the CNN town hall in New York
From CNN staff
Laura Oliverio/CNN
During a CNN town hall on Monday, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie – who lost to former President Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican primary before supporting him later that year and again in 2020 – didn’t spread nearly as many falsehoods as the 2024 GOP front-runner.
But Christie made his own claims that, at least partially, strayed from or omitted the truth.
Here is a fact check of some remarks Christie made during the town hall:
Russian collusion: Christie spoke about Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the topic of Russian collusion.
“I was involved in that campaign in 2016 with Donald Trump,” Christie said. “Let me tell you something. I can guarantee you there was no colluding going on. They were trying to figure out how to get from New York to Wisconsin. …Colluding with the Russians was the last thing they were thinking about.”
From CNN’s Marshall Cohen
Bridgegate: Christie claimed that he was not involved in and had “no knowledge of” the Bridgegate scandal that marked his second term as governor, and ultimately resulted in the conviction of two of his former aides.
From CNN’s Ella Nilsen
Deficit under Trump: Christie blasted Trump for his lack of fiscal control when he was in office, even though Christie said Trump had promised he would balance the budget in four years.
“We [were] left with one of the biggest deficits any president’s ever had,” Christie said.
Chris Christie slammed Trump while making a case for his own candidacy. Here are some key takeaways
From CNN's Eric Bradner and Gregory Krieg
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie laid into Donald Trump in a CNN town hall Monday night, calling the former president “angry” and “vengeful” and accusing him of “vanity run amok” within the event’s opening minutes.
His comments set the tone for the night and made clear that Christie – who leaned into his own record as a former federal prosecutor – sees his role in the 2024 Republican presidential primary as being the chief critic of Trump, willing to take on the front-runner while most other contenders duck confrontation.
He also made a case for his own candidacy, pointing to his past experience and laying out his stance on a variety of issues from abortion, to the southern border and the war in Ukraine.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
The indictment of Donald Trump: Christie began the town hall by slamming Trump for the alleged behavior spelled out in the federal indictment against the former president. He said the “nature of the documents” that Trump is accused of unlawfully retaining after leaving office was particularly damning. That trove is believed to include plans for war with Iran, details about US nuclear weapons and daily security briefings from his time in office.
After that, Christie pointed to the implication in the indictment that Trump lied and tried to involve his personal lawyer, who eventually ended up being made to turn over documents to prosecutors. He said the simple fact that Trump is “voluntarily putting our country through this.”
Selling his own candidacy: Christie – who made his name nationally through force of personality during his near-decade leading New Jersey – spun through some of his accomplishments in dealing with Democratic legislative leaders in the heavily Democratic state, including lowering property taxes and backing charter schools.
Christie also pushed back on an audience member’s concern that he would be too willing to compromise with Democrats, saying he’s ready now to go to Washington and “make it work for Republican values in the right way.”
Russia’s war in Ukraine: Christie defended US support for Ukraine’s military in that country’s conflict with Russia, describing it as “a proxy war with China” and pointing out that Beijing is buying Russian oil and supplying Iran with drones.
He said that while US involvement in the war is unpleasant, “the alternative is for the Chinese to take over, the Russians, the Iranians and the North Koreans – a bad foursome.”
The US southern border: The former governor said that he would send the National Guard to the US-Mexico border to deal with issues involving large influxes of migrants. He criticized former President Donald Trump’s border policy and said his inability to pass immigration reform despite having a Republican-controlled Congress for two years was an “abject failure.”
Abortion: Christie said he believes each state should decide its own abortion laws.
On the federal government’s role in the abortion issue, he said that he believes “Roe was unconstitutional,” which he said conservatives have been arguing for 50 years. He said that the federal government should “not be involved unless — and until — there’s consensus around the country” from all the states on what the abortion law should be.
See photos from the evening hosted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper:
Christie speaks with CNN's Anderson Cooper at the start of the town hall.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
Christie answers a question during the town hall.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
An audience member takes a photo on their phone as someone asks Christie a question.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
An audience member asks Christie a question.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
During the town hall, Christie slammed Trump's actions as described in the classified documents indictment and claimed a second Trump term would be worst than the first.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
Christie chats with audience members at the end of the town hall.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
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Analysis: Chris Christie is seizing on federal indictment to make the case against Trump, Elie Honig says
Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12, 2023.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
GOP presidential candidate Christ Christie seized on the federal indictment of Donald Trump to make the case against the former president during Monday’s town hall, said Elie Honig, former assistant US attorney.
Christie is also making the broader case that he’s the only one who sees the Trump indictment clearly, Honig told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
“You see so many other Republicans equivocating, let’s wait and see. Well, Chris Christie just reads this indictment and reacts like many of us do — ‘This is really damning,’” he said.
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Christie says he'll unify the country by getting rid of Biden and Trump: "It's done. It's time"
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said the “single biggest thing” he could contribute to unify the country is to “get rid of Joe Biden and get rid of Donald Trump.”
“They are past their sell-by dates, okay? It’s done. It’s time,” he said.
Christie criticized Biden and Trump for bringing what he called “an old approach to this that is not constructive in our country.” He said that in 2020 Biden vowed to “bring us together” as a country and “then he ran far left and abandoned most of the country philosophically.”
He said that if Biden gets a second term, what “he’ll do is keep doing what he’s doing, which is dividing the country even more than we were divided in 2020.”
Christie said his approach to unifying is “very direct and very simple, that there is no bad opinion.”
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Christie says it's important to discuss reforming Social Security to avoid cutting retirees' benefits
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said it’s important to talk about ways to reform the Social Security system, including means testing potential recipients, so as to avoid cutting retirees’ benefits.
Christie, speaking at a CNN town hall Monday night, said there was a potential benefit to changing the retirement age for younger Americans, a position he shares with GOP opponents, former Gov. Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence.
Some background: The combined Social Security trust funds are projected to run dry in 2034, according to the latest annual report from the entitlement program’s trustees. At that time, the funds’ reserves will be depleted, and the program’s continuing income will only cover 80% of benefits owed.
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Christie says he'd send the National Guard to the US southern border and slams Trump's immigration policy
GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie said that he would send the National Guard to the US-Mexico border to deal with issues involving large influxes of migrants.
“We need to secure that border,” he added, also criticizing former President Donald Trump’s border policy.
“This is where President Trump has failed us so badly. I mean I stood on that stage eight years ago and heard him say, ‘I’m going to build a big beautiful wall across the entire border and Mexico’s going to pay for it.’ Well four years later, we got a quarter of a wall and not one peso towards that,” he said.
He also said how Trump was unable to pass immigration reform despite having a Republican-controlled Congress for two years. “It is an abject failure, and now he blames Joe Biden for it. Well, what the heck did you do to make it better?”
“He took temporary steps, but the minute he left office, someone else could change. You know what that is? A bad executive,” he said.
Christie said that he would be able to pass immigration legislation and not temporary solutions if elected president.
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Christie calls Russia-Ukraine conflict a "proxy war with China"
From CNN's Eric Bradner and Gregory Krieg
GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie defended US support for Ukraine’s military in that country’s conflict with Russia, describing it as “a proxy war with China” and pointing out that Beijing is buying Russian oil and supplying Iran with drones.
He said that while US involvement in the war is unpleasant, “the alternative is for the Chinese to take over, the Russians, the Iranians and the North Koreans – a bad foursome.”
Christie’s comments came in response to a question about US spending on Ukraine’s war effort at a time of domestic inflation and federal deficits.
“A big and great country should be able to do both,” he said. “We should be able to get our spending under control, and we should be able to have a strong military that will stand up for friends around the world who are free.”
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Christie says that he believes each state should decide its own abortion laws
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said in CNN’s town hall tonight that he believes each state should decide its own abortion laws.
On the federal government’s role in the abortion issue, he said that he believes “Roe was unconstitutional,” which he said conservatives have been arguing for 50 years. He said that the federal government should “not be involved unless — and until — there’s consensus around the country” from all the states on what the abortion law should be.
Asked by CNN’s Anderson Cooper on whether he would sign a bill for a federal abortion ban as president if there was consensus, Christie said, “There’s a lot of ifs in there.”
Pressed by Cooper on what he believes the time period in terms of weeks pregnant should be for a ban on abortion, Christie said, “I don’t think anything in my heart about time period. What I have in my heart is that every life is precious and should be protected.”
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Christie says his position on guns has evolved — and he would not support an assault weapons ban
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
Chris Christie pointed to law enforcement and mental health as being central problems to the issue of gun violence, adding that he would not support a ban on assault weapons.
Answering a question from CNN’s Anderson Cooper about if there was anything new Christie would do to help curb gun violence if he was president, the former New Jersey governor said that he largely believes states should handle putting measures in place.
Cooper noted this was a shift from his stance when he was running for a New Jersey state Senate seat more than 30 years ago.
Cooper pointed out that Christie said he got into that race because Republicans were trying to get rid of an assault weapons ban — something Christie wanted to keep in place. He now says he does not believe there should be a ban on assault weapons.
Christie said it’s a right for people to own guns, including assault weapons. He said he doesn’t own one “but that’s been my choice.”
When Joe Robbins, a Nevada retiree who lost his son in a mass shooting, asked Christie how he would protect people from mass shootings while still protecting the Second Amendment, Christie reiterated his call for a focus on mental health.
“I don’t think with 350 million or so guns out there that tighter gun control is going to keep the gun out of the hands of someone who’s going to do what happened in Las Vegas or what happened in Uvalde or what happened in Sandy Hook,” he said.
Christie said law enforcement needs to be “much more sensitive” to what they are seeing in the community and be able to identify when people are having mental health problems.
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Christie: Trump blamed me for giving him Covid-19 — despite not knowing how he contracted it
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday he was told off the record by two reporters in 2020 that then-President Donald Trump blamed him for spreading Covid-19 during debate prep.
What appalled Christie about this revelation was that while he was in intensive care, Trump called Christie to ask if he was going to tell the world he contracted Covid from the president.
Trump, who also contracted Covid in the fall of 2020, was released from the hospital before Christie, the GOP presidential contender said, and went back on the campaign trail where two reporters heard him blaming Christie for contracting Covid.
“He called me to make sure that I would not blame him, and when I said I wouldn’t because I had no basis to say who it was, he then blamed me,” Christie said.
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Christie calls Trump's lies that 2020 presidential election was stolen "the most destructive thing he's done"
Responding to those in the Republican Party who still insist the 2020 presidential election was stolen, Chris Christie responded Monday night: “Just show me the evidence.”
Christie said that had there been any evidence of election rigging in 2020 he would have been happy to support Trump “all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and beyond” adding, “But there’s no evidence.”
Christie called Trump’s lies that the 2020 election was stolen “the most destructive thing he’s done.”
His relationship with Trump ended after he stood in front of “the Seal of the President in the East Room of the White House at 2:30 in the morning on election morning and said the election was stolen,” Christie said.
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Christie denies knowledge of "Bridgegate" but says he regrets that the scandal happened under his watch
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie denied his involvement in the 2013 “Bridgegate” scandal, which involved political appointees under his watch as New Jersey governor.
Asked by Republican voter Jason Ortiz about Christie’s direct and indirect involvement in the scandal, Christie responded, “I had absolutely nothing to do with it, no knowledge of it. I was appalled by it. And I had nothing to do with it.”
Christie went on to say that despite his lack of involvement, he does regret that it happened under his governorship.
“I regret what happened, and I feel — I am accountable for it because it happened on my watch. But it’ll never happen with me I can guarantee that,” he said.
More background: Christie was first elected New Jersey governor in 2009, unseating Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine. He easily won reelection in the blue state in 2013. He served as US attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008, a period in which he successfully prosecuted the father of Trump’s son-in-law and former aide Jared Kushner on criminal tax evasion and witness tampering charges.
Christie was engulfed in the “Bridgegate” scandal during his second term as governor. Emails and texts from top aides showed that the George Washington Bridge lane closures in September 2013, which caused massive traffic jams, stemmed from a political vendetta after the town’s Democratic mayor declined to endorse Christie’s gubernatorial reelection. A federal investigation determined that Christie had no knowledge of the decision to close the lanes, but the scandal continued to follow the former governor.
CNN’s Gregory Krieg and Shania Shelton contributed reporting to this post.
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Both Biden and Trump are hazardous to the country if elected as president again, Christie says
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie said he wants US citizens to know he’s not ageist. Instead, he says he is a realist when it comes to considering the future of the country if either of the two front-runners — Joe Biden and Donald Trump — is elected president.
Christie said he disagreed with Biden on a philosophical level and if Trump was elected, he would play the victim and be even angrier than he was in his previous administration.
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Christie: US should help foster compromise between Ukraine and Russia once Kyiv can protect land taken in war
Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
On the topic of US aid to Ukraine, CNN’s Anderson Cooper noted GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie had previously said that he agreed with supporting Kyiv until they are ready to resolve the conflict.
He then noted that Christie’s comments are not exactly in line with what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked for. The Ukrainian president has said he wants to take back all territory from Russia, including Crimea.
“I didn’t say that, I said until it was resolved. If I were President Zelenskyy, I would want everything too,” Christie said during CNN’s town hall.
“But there’s going to come a point, I hope, that if Ukraine is aggressive enough and we are giving them the arms and support that they need, that both Ukraine and Russia are going to understand that it’s time to end the killing and that there may have to be some kind of compromise,” Christie added.
Cooper noted that the US has provided $37 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the start of the war.
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Christie says debates against Trump will be different this time because he's not afraid of him
Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
Chris Christie said he and other Republicans in the “establishment lane” made the mistake of fighting among each other instead of directly taking on Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The former New Jersey governor, who subsequently helped Trump prepare for his debates in 2020, said that the only thing the former president understands is force.
Asked what would be different this time on the debate stage with Trump, Christie said he’s not afraid to make the arguments that Trump has been a “loser” since he was elected, referring to the Republican Party’s loss of the White House and loss of seats in the House and Senate since 2016.
Christie also criticized other Republican presidential candidates who he said won’t even name Trump when they’re asked about him.
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Christie on what sets him apart from GOP rivals: I governed in a blue state and made things happen
Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
Chris Christie said that his tenure as a Republican governor in the blue state of New Jersey sets him apart from other Republican contenders in the presidential race.
Christie added that he believes that one of the biggest frustrations Americans have is that “Washington gets nothing done.”
He went on to say that, unlike GOP governors from red states, he was able to pass legislation by working with Democrats.
“You need a strong leader who can go in there and knows how to do this. And with all due respect to these governors from red states who have Republican legislatures, man I’m telling you I would have given my right arm to have a Republican legislature for a week,” he said.
He then touted his experience as someone who can work across the aisle to accomplish things for the American people.
Some background: Christie was first elected New Jersey governor in 2009, unseating Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine. He easily won reelection in the blue state in 2013. He served as US attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008, a period in which he successfully prosecuted the father of Trump’s son-in-law and former aide Jared Kushner on criminal tax evasion and witness tampering charges.
Christie himself was engulfed in the “Bridgegate” scandal during his second term as governor. Emails and texts from top aides showed that the George Washington Bridge lane closures in September 2013, which caused massive traffic jams, stemmed from a political vendetta after the town’s Democratic mayor declined to endorse Christie’s gubernatorial reelection. A federal investigation determined that Christie had no knowledge of the decision to close the lanes, but the scandal continued to follow the former governor.
At the end of his tenure, Christie was highly unpopular in his home state, recording the lowest approval rating for any governor in more than 20 years among states surveyed by the Quinnipiac University Poll.
CNN’s Gregory Krieg and Shania Shelton contributed reporting to this post.
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Christie says he'd keep Christopher Wray as FBI director if he is elected president
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie said Monday that if elected president, he would keep Christopher Wray as FBI director
“If he wanted to stay, I would keep him,” Christie said in CNN’s town hall, adding he’d appoint an attorney general who Wray would know he’d have to report to and would hold Wray to the same standards he would hold the US Justice Department.
Christie says he could see Trump's Mar-a-Lago case go to trial by this winter
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
Chris Christie said that he could see the trial of former President Donald Trump in the Mar-a-Lago documents case go to trial before the 2024 election.
Christie, who is the former governor of New Jersey and a former prosecutor, said there is a “rocket docket” in the Florida district where the case is being tried.
“They’re a district, the Southern District of Florida, that cares about the Speedy Trial Act, which says 70 days from the day of your initial appearance, which is tomorrow. They won’t do that because it’s too complex a case. But could I see this case going to trial in six to eight months from tomorrow? I could,” Christie said.
Trump is expected in court in Miami on Tuesday for an arraignment. Special counsel Jack Smith has also said he wanted a speedy trial while protecting the former president’s rights.
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Christie says other GOP candidates aren't addressing Trump's indictment because "they're playing games"
Chris Christie speaks at a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
Chris Christie said Monday night that other Republican presidential candidates aren’t commenting on what’s in Trump’s indictment because “it’s indefensible – they’re playing games.”
“They’re playing political games with you,” Christie said to the audience at a CNN town hall, adding that he believes other candidates are hoping Trump will “implode” and they’ll be able to capitalize.
Voters should instead decide which candidate is “the most honest, forthright leader” and “put that person behind the desk” as president, the former New Jersey governor said.
If elected, Christie vowed not to interfere with the work of the attorney general, saying that he would tell whoever he appointed:
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"This is vanity run amok," Christie says of Trump's actions as outlined in the special counsel's indictment
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie outlined on Monday what he said were the three most egregious actions by former President Donald Trump as outlined in the federal indictment.
Asked by CNN’s Anderson Cooper which of the 37 charges he finds most egregious, Christie responded, “Can I get the three most?”
The former New Jersey governor went on to explain the charges that stuck out to him, including:
The nature of the documents he kept. “I mean, battle plans against Iran, nuclear secrets, the presidential daily brief, which has the most important intelligence information that anyone in the country can get. These are not his personal documents. ”
Trump suggested to lawyers to lie in response to a grand jury subpoena, Christie said.
The former president is voluntarily putting the country through the process, Christie said. If Trump had just turned in the documents when he was first asked to in 2021, none of this would have happened, he added.
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Christie says he agrees with former Attorney General Barr calling Trump's federal indictment "very damning"
Presidential hopeful Chris Christie said he agreed with Barr’s comments on “Fox News Sunday.”
More on the indictment: Special counsel Jack Smith returned an historic indictment against Trump that was unsealed Friday, the first time that a former president has been charged with crimes in federal court.
Trump faces a total of 37 counts, including 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information. His aide, Walt Nauta, faces six counts, including several obstruction and concealment-related charges stemming from the alleged conduct.
The 49-page indictment included new details about how Trump allegedly took classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving office in 2021 and resisted the government’s attempts to retrieve the classified materials.
Trump is expected to appear in a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday to be arraigned.
Christie says Trump "doesn't give a damn about the American people" and another term would be worse
Chris Christie speaks during a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
Chris Christie told voters that he believes another Donald Trump presidency would be worse than his first term in office because Trump doesn’t care about the American people.
Speaking at a CNN town hall Monday, Christie said Trump has shown “to be completely self-centered, completely self-consumed and doesn’t give a damn about the American people, in my view,” especially after he left office.
Presidents should be thinking about what to do for Americans, Christie said, “not what scores you need to settle for yourself.”
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Chris Christie says his wife convinced him to run for president again
Mary Pat Christie, wife of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, laughs ahead of a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
CNN’s Anderson Cooper opened tonight’s town hall with GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie by asking him why he wanted to run for president again — and how he made the case to his family. Christie said that it was “the opposite” with his wife, Mary Pat Christie, who made the case to him to run.
Christie said that his wife told him that he has “a unique set of skills that need to be in this race” and that she told him he needed “to do this.”
“And she was making the argument. So, Anderson, when your wife is making the argument and you’re the candidate, go. Just go. Don’t ask questions, just go,” Christie said.
CNN’s Gregory Krieg and Shania Shelton contributed reporting to this post.
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CNN's town hall with Chris Christie has started
From CNN staff
Former New Jersey Governor shakes hands with CNN's Anderson Cooper at the start of a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall in New York on Monday, June 12.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
CNN’s town hall with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in New York is happening now — less than a week after he officially launched his 2024 presidential campaign.
Christie is answering questions from CNN’s Anderson Cooper and a live audience comprised of Republican voters.
Christie is making his second bid for the White House, following an unsuccessful attempt in 2016. He ended up backing Trump that year and again four years later, when he also helped the then-president with debate preparation.
But Christie turned on his onetime ally after Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and has since established himself as one of the former president’s chief GOP critics.
Christie kicked off his presidential campaign last week with a lacerating indictment of Trump, calling him a “lonely, self-consumed mirror hog” who, by force of personality alone, represents a threat to the republic.
Christie is seeking to appeal to more establishment-friendly Republican conservatives and believes he is best positioned to take on Trump in the primary while also appealing to independent voters.
Where you can watch: The town hall is streaming live, without requiring a cable login, on the CNN.com homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android, and CNN OTT and mobile apps or live TV.
The town hall will also be available on demand beginning Tuesday to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN OTT apps and cable operator platforms.
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Here's what to watch for during tonight's town hall
From CNN's Gregory Krieg
Chris Christie’s CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Now, less than a week after formally entering the race and on the eve of Trump’s court appearance in South Florida on an indictment over his alleged mishandling of classified documents, Christie, at a CNN town hall Monday night, will have another opportunity in front of a national audience to make the political case against Trump – and for himself.
In New Hampshire last week, Christie said he did not view those two efforts to be in conflict. Instead, he argued, they should be viewed as natural complements.
Christie also used that forum to jab his primary rivals over their reluctance to directly engage with the former president, pointing to an event hosted by Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst days before in Des Moines.
“Not one of (the primary candidates there) mentioned his name. They would say cute little things like ‘new generational leadership’ or ‘we need a leader who looks forward, not backwards,’” Christie said, mocking the catchphrases used by other Republican candidates determined to go around, not through, Trump on the campaign trail.
All told, it was a dramatic first step onto the campaign stage. The question now: Where does he go from there?
Here are four things to watch during Christie’s town hall:
Does Christie pounce … or back off following Trump’s federal indictment?
Can Christie make the case for himself?
How does Christie explain his about-face on Trump?
Key things to know about Chris Christie's political career — and tumultuous relationship with Trump
From CNN's Gregory Krieg and Shania Shelton
In this 2016 photo, Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump arrives with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for a rally March 14, 2016 in Vienna Center, Ohio.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s first flirtation with presidential politics began in 2011, when he considered running in a primary to take on then-President Barack Obama a year later. He demurred, then saw his standing with Republicans sag ahead of 2016. His 2016 campaign was short-lived and most memorable for Christie’s mocking evisceration of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in a February debate.
Both would eventually drop out – Christie after he finished sixth in the New Hampshire primary – and endorse former President Donald Trump. But Christie went a step further.
He helmed Trump’s transition team – though his work was eventually trashed, and Christie himself sidelined days after the election – and later on became a close adviser to the former president. He was floated as a potential appointment to a number of administration jobs, though none ever materialized. He even participated in mock debates with Trump in 2020. (Christie has said he believes he contracted Covid-19 from Trump, who did not disclose a positive test result, during one of those sessions.)
Following Trump’s defeat and subsequent attempt to overturn the 2020 election, Christie turned on him and sought to establish himself as one of Trump’s chief Republican critics.
He also has said that Trump “incited” the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol “in an effort to intimidate Mike Pence and the Congress into doing exactly what he said in his own words last week: overturn the election.”
In an interview with Axios this year, he vowed never to support Trump again. “I can’t help him,” Christie said. “No way.”
Asked by an audience member last Tuesday at a town hall whether he had a plan to win over “Trump voters,” Christie disputed the characterization – and insisted that Republicans should not view people who had previously voted for Trump as an impenetrable group.
His time as governor: Christie was first elected New Jersey governor in 2009, unseating Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine. He easily won reelection in the blue state in 2013. He served as US attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008, a period in which he successfully prosecuted the father of Trump’s son-in-law and former aide Jared Kushner on criminal tax evasion and witness tampering charges.
Christie himself was engulfed in the “Bridgegate” scandal during his second term as governor. Emails and texts from top aides showed that the George Washington Bridge lane closures in September 2013, which caused massive traffic jams, stemmed from a political vendetta after the town’s Democratic mayor declined to endorse Christie’s gubernatorial reelection.
A federal investigation determined that Christie had no knowledge of the decision to close the lanes, but the scandal continued to follow the former governor.
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These are the polling and donor thresholds candidates must meet to participate in the first GOP primary debate
From CNN's David Wright
The Republican National Committee announced Friday that the first presidential primary debate will take place on August 23 in Milwaukee and also laid out the polling and donor thresholds candidates must meet to make the stage.
For the polling requirement, candidates will need to register at least 1% in three national polls, or a combination of national polls and a poll from the early-voting states recognized by the RNC.
Qualifying candidates will also need “a minimum of 40,000 unique donors to candidate’s principal presidential campaign committee (or exploratory committee), with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20+ states and/or territories,” the RNC said in a statement.
The candidates must also sign a pledge “agreeing to support the eventual party nominee,” the committee said.
“If you’re going to be on the Republican National Committee debate stage asking voters to support you, you should say, ‘I’m going to support the voters and who they choose as the nominee,’” McDaniel told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
Candidates must present these qualifications to the RNC 48 hours before the first debate, which will be hosted by Fox News. The committee also said that “should enough candidates qualify to make it necessary,” a second debate will be held on August 24.
More background: The rules are more stringent than what Democrats required during the 2020 cycle to qualify for their first presidential debate, when candidates had to either register at least 1% support in three polls from an approved list of pollsters, or receive campaign contributions from 65,000 unique donors, including 200 donors each from 20 different states.
The Republican requirement for 2024 candidates to meet both the polling and donor threshold could make qualifying difficult for some hopefuls who are struggling to garner 1% in polls or in fundraising.
CNN reported last month that former President Donald Trump, seen as the current front-runner for the GOP nomination, has privately discussed skipping either one or both of the first two Republican presidential primary debates, according to three sources who spoke with him about his plans. Trump’s advisers pointed to his commanding lead in the polls as one reason for his hesitation. But some close to the former president said it was too early to make a decision either way.
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Here's what Chris Christie has said about Trump's federal indictment
From CNN staff
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a town-hall-style event at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College on June 6, in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie and his campaign have used former President Donald Trump’s federal indictment to paint Trump as unfit to lead.
Christie said Friday that the charges laid out in the indictment are “devastating” and illustrate “irresponsible conduct.”
“This is irresponsible conduct,” Christie said, adding, “the conduct that Donald Trump engaged in was completely self-inflicted.”
Christie is one of the few Republicans who has condemned Trump’s conduct in the wake of the indictment, though he also said it was a mistake for the Justice Department to not bring charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her own scandal involving sensitive government information.
Christie’s new ad: Christie’s super PAC, meanwhile, has launched its first TV ad of the 2024 cycle, which takes direct aim at the former president’s qualifications.
A senior adviser to the PAC tells CNN the ad had been in the works since Christie’s announcement, but when the indictment news came down Thursday, the PAC made sure to include the direct shot at Trump.
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Christie's super PAC launched attack on Trump in its first TV ad of the 2024 cycle
From CNN's Kit Maher
On the heels of former President Donald Trump’s historic federal indictment, Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie’s super PAC “Tell It Like It Is” launched its first TV ad of the 2024 cycle last week.
The spot takes a direct shot at the former president’s qualifications to run.
The ad began running digitally Friday and started airing statewide in New Hampshire on Sunday.
“The latest round of indictments serve as another reminder that the Republican Party needs a new direction,” Colin Reed, senior adviser for “Tell It Like It Is” PAC, said Friday.
A senior adviser to the PAC tells CNN the ad has been in the works since Christie’s announcement, but when the indictment news came down Thursday, the PAC made sure to include the direct shot at Trump.
Details of the size of buy were not shared.
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Trump’s indictment has divided 2024 GOP hopefuls
From CNN's Jack Forrest, Veronica Stracqualursi, Aileen Graef and Eric Bradner
Contenders for the GOP nomination are grappling with how to strike the right tone on Trump, seen as the GOP front-runner to take on President Joe Biden next year, as they look to build their support among Republican primary voters.
Trump is facing his first federal indictment for retention of classified documents and conspiracy with a top aide to hide them from the government and his own attorneys – a total of 37 counts. He’s expected to appear in court in Miami on Tuesday, after which he’ll deliver remarks from his New Jersey golf club. He’ll also hold a fundraiser there that night, sources familiar with the event told CNN.
Ramaswamy, who vowed to pardon Trump if elected president before details of the 37-count indictment were revealed, doubled down Sunday, telling CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” that after “reading that indictment and looking at the selective omissions of both fact and law,” he was “even more convinced that a pardon is the right answer here.”
Ramaswamy acknowledged that he “would not have taken those documents with me,” but the tech entrepreneur maintained there was a difference between “bad judgment and breaking the law.”
Bash presses Ramaswamy on pledge to pardon Trump
Those comments stood in contrast to Hutchinson, who called Ramaswamy’s vow to pardon Trump “simply wrong” in a separate interview on “State of the Union” later Sunday.
“It is simply wrong for a candidate to use the pardon power of the United States of the president in order to curry votes, and in order to get an applause line. It is just wrong,” the former Arkansas governor told Bash.
“We do not need to have our commander in chief of this country not protecting our nation’s secrets,” Hutchinson said, adding later, “These are things that should not be disclosed as entertainment value to a political contact that you’re speaking with.”
Chris Christie kicked off his 2024 campaign last week with sharp attacks on Trump
From CNN's Gregory Krieg and Shania Shelton
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a town-hall-style event at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College on June 6, in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie kicked off his second presidential campaign last Tuesday with a lacerating indictment of former President Donald Trump, calling his ally-turned-rival a “lonely, self-consumed mirror hog” who, by force of personality alone, represents a threat to the republic.
At a town hall event in New Hampshire, Christie – who endorsed Trump after dropping out of the 2016 primary and then became a close adviser to the former president ahead of the 2020 election – described his past support as an error and urged Republicans to join him in rejecting the GOP front-runner.
Nearly 30 minutes after he began speaking, Christie made his own declaration.
“I can’t guarantee you success, but I can guarantee you that at the end of it, you will have no doubt in your mind who I am and what I stand for and whether I deserve it,” he said. “That’s why I came back to New Hampshire to tell all of you that I intend to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2024.”
Christie is set to participate in a CNN town hall on Monday in New York, where he’ll take questions from CNN’s Anderson Cooper and a live audience comprised of Republicans from the first four GOP nominating states as well as from voters in New Jersey and New York who say they plan to vote in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
Christie’s announcement last Tuesday, which followed his filing with the Federal Election Commission earlier in the day, came a day after fellow GOP moderate Chris Sununu, the governor of New Hampshire, opted against running and less than 24 hours before former Vice President Mike Pence officially enters the race. Like in 2016, Christie is seeking to appeal to more traditionally conservative, establishment-friendly Republicans – and hope that he can emerge as a foil to Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a rapidly growing field.
Also similar to that first run: Christie is part of a crowded field that, if history is any guide, could pave the way for the eventual nominee to run with less than majority support among Republicans. Along with Trump and DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott have all launched bids. Pence, who has already filed paperwork to run, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum are expected to join the crowd on Wednesday.
The 2024 GOP field continues to grow. Here's who is running for president so far
From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf
Former President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks to the Georgia state GOP convention at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center on June 10, in Columbus, Georgia.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The first Republican primary debate won’t occur until August. The first primaries and caucuses won’t occur until early next year. But the 2024 presidential primary campaign is well underway.
There’s a growing field of declared candidates who will begin traveling around early primary states, appearing in interviews and jockeying for attention. Super PACs aligned with their interests are already doing battle on the airwaves.
Chris Christie’s CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in New York on Monday, June 12.
Laura Oliverio/CNN
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will participate in a CNN town hall on Monday, less than a week after he officially launched his 2024 presidential campaign.
Christie is making his second bid for the White House, following an unsuccessful attempt in 2016. He ended up backing Trump that year and again four years later, when he also helped the then-president with debate preparation.
But Christie turned on his onetime ally after Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and has since established himself as one of the former president’s chief GOP critics.
Christie kicked off his presidential campaign last week with a lacerating indictment of Trump, calling him a “lonely, self-consumed mirror hog” who, by force of personality alone, represents a threat to the republic.
Christie is seeking to appeal to more establishment-friendly Republican conservatives and believes he is best positioned to take on Trump in the primary while also appealing to independent voters.
Monday’s event will be the fourth in CNN’s series of Republican presidential town halls for the 2024 cycle, following appearances by Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence.
Here’s how to watch the town hall with Christie:
The town hall starts at 8 p.m. ET: The event will be hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.
Where it’s happening: The town hall will take place from CNN’s New York bureau.
How to watch: The town hall will stream live, without requiring a cable login, on the CNN.com homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android, and CNN OTT and mobile apps or live TV. The town hall will also be available on demand beginning Tuesday to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN OTT apps and cable operator platforms.
