Chris Christie DRAWS OUT OF 2024 Race, Attacks ‘Unfit’ Donald Trump: Republican Suspends Campaign, Claims Former President Hid in a BUNKER During 9/11 to ‘Protect Himself’

Chris Christie dramatically announced Wednesday that he was withdrawing from the 2024 Republican presidential race, issuing an angry indictment of Donald Trump and telling his supporters he was determined to keep his former ally out of the White House.

“It is clear to me tonight that there is no path for me to win the nomination, and therefore tonight I am suspending my campaign for president of the United States,” Christie told supporters in Windham, New Hampshire.

It’s a stunning development that could be a big boost for Nikki Haley, as many Christie voters are now expected to support her.

But in extended remarks, Christie did not come close to expressing support for any of Trump’s remaining challengers. Instead, he criticized unnamed contenders for their ambition and “cowardice” in not being willing to take on the frontrunner directly. And he mentioned Haley by name as one of those who wouldn’t stand up enough to Trump. (She has said Trump would cause “chaos” if re-elected, but has not ruled out running as his vice president if asked).

He decried the “smallness of the campaigns that spend more time arguing and worrying about who should drop out of the race than they spent chasing the front-runner.”

Christie went after a campaign that he said is not “playing to win.” It is a campaign that ensures you do not offend.”

He said the country’s problems “will not be solved by people who are too afraid to talk about what the real problems are.”

In one of his most visceral attacks, he said Trump, a former New Yorker, would not have acted in the nation’s best interests if he had been in the Oval Office on September 11.

“The first thing he would have done is run to the bunker to protect himself,” Christie said.

“Anyone who won’t say he’s unfit to be president of the United States is unfit to be president of the United States,” he said.

It came moments after he was caught on a hot mic saying Haley was “going to get smoked” and “couldn’t handle this.”

He blamed his rivals for failing to take on Trump.

“If Donald Trump becomes this party’s nominee, the moment that happened was when Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, Mike Pence, Doug Burgum and Vivek Ramaswamy stood on that stage in Milwaukee in August and when we were asked if If you support someone who is a convicted felon and wants to be president of the United States, they raise their hands,” he said.

The former governor of New Jersey did not spare senior Republicans in Congress from his criticism. He mentioned Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming and House Republican Party Rep. Tom Emmer, both of whom supported Trump.

‘They know better. I know they know better.’ He went after “people who continue to deny the outcome of the 2020 election” and “people in House leadership who say on TV that the people who attacked the Capitol on January 6 are hostages.”

That was a reference to Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a former Trump critic who, following Trump, used the term “hostage” to describe Jan. 6 suspects.

‘I’ll tell you who the hostages are. The Israelis who are still being hidden in tunnels in Gaza against their will through no fault of their own,” he said.

“President Trump has already defeated eight challengers before a single vote has been cast, because Republican voters want a strong leader who will restart our economy, secure our borders, make America energy independent again and keep our families safe,” Karoline said Leavitt, spokeswoman for Make America Great Again Inc.

Haley’s campaign released a statement talking about their friendship and, like Trump, not directly addressing his criticism.

“Chris Christie has been a friend for years. I commend him for his hard-fought campaign. Voters have a clear choice in this election: the chaos and drama of the past or a new generation of conservative leadership. “I will fight to earn every vote so that together we can build a strong and proud America,” she said.

Christie based his campaign on being Trump’s most outspoken and aggressive opponent. But he was languishing in the polls and came under increasing pressure to back down and give Haley, who has been gaining momentum, a better chance of catching Trump.

On average, Christie was in fifth place in Iowa with 3 percent support.

He had staked almost his entire campaign on success in New Hampshire, the second state to vote on January 23. According to opinion polls, he was in third place there with 12 percent.

His shocking decision to withdraw came just a day after he rejected the idea that ending his presidential bid would help Haley defeat Trump.

Speaking at a barbecue restaurant in New Hampshire on Tuesday, he said: ‘I would like to get out of the way of anyone who actually stands up to Donald Trump. Why do we think she (Haley) would hit him? She’s not trying to beat him.”

He noted her support for pardoning Trump if one of his criminal trials ends in a conviction, and her refusal to rule out becoming Trump’s running mate if asked.

“Let’s just say I now dropped out of the race and endorsed Nikki Haley,” Christie said Tuesday.

“And in three months, in four months, when you’re ready to go to the convention, she’ll emerge as his vice president. What will I look like? What will all the people who supported her at my request look like?’

At his town hall event in New Hampshire on Tuesday, one of Christie’s constituents suggested he should consider resigning.

Greg Leach, 49, of Dover, told Christie he wants his vote to count and asked him about the need to unite around one anti-Trump candidate.

“I really want to vote for Christie, but strategically right now I feel like Nikki Haley is the right choice,” he said.

Leach said he was interested in what’s happening in Iowa, but wondered whether Christie should drop out sooner rather than later.

“I don’t want it to be too late and for Trump to end up winning because people waited too long,” he said.

Christie had insisted he would stay in the race as long as he saw a path to the nomination.

He had also said he would not make an endorsement based on politics, as he did when he supported Trump eight years ago.

“I’m not going to make the same mistake again,” he said. ‘Can it not.’

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Haley’s political action committee said: “It’s time for voters to tell Christie what we all know, which is that his campaign isn’t holding anyone back and, frankly, it’s helping Trump, whom he proudly supported in 2016 and supposedly is against. by 2024.’

But the calculations in recent polls signaled a way Christie could make an impact in his crusade to stop Trump after endorsing his former rival in 2016.

According to the latest CNN/University of New Hampshire poll, Trump was in the lead with 39 percent, while Hailing was only 7 points behind with 32 percent.

Christie was on 12 points. But if most of his supporters turned to Haley, it could give her a way to surpass Trump in the nation’s first primary.

Christie’s planned announcement came after a pro-Trump super PAC began hammering Haley with a new ad on immigration — in a move that responded to her rise in the polls.