Although the Republican National Committee (RNC) has expressed their full and unconditional support for President Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 election, some wishful thinkers are hoping that someone may try to challenge the commander-in-chief in a primary — perhaps someone who has battled it out with him before.
Last week, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) wouldn’t rule out running against Trump in a primary ahead of 2020.
Christie said that while he isn’t currently planning on making a bid for the White House, “Never say never.”
“Never say never”
Christie spoke at a town hall in California ahead of the release of his upcoming memoir, Let Me Finish: Trump, The Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics, which is said to be critical of the president and his administration.
According to Breitbart, Christie didn’t hide his feelings about the White House at the town hall, denouncing the recent government shutdown and calling Trump’s choice to say he’d take the blame for it before it began a “fundamental mistake” by the president and his closest advisers.
Pre-released excerpts from Christie’s upcoming book reveal more animosity between the Republicans. According to reports, Christie had more than a few words for the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, who Christie blames for his own abrupt departure from Trump’s transition team in late 2016.
As U.S. Attorney for New Jersey in 2005, Christie prosecuted Kushner’s father, a real estate developer named Charles, on multiple tax evasion and witness tampering charges. Charles Kushner ended up serving 14 months in federal prison, a prison sentence that Jared later called unethical and inappropriate.
According to Christie, this spat served as the cornerstone to Kushner’s decade-old grudge — and cost him a spot in the Trump administration.
Rocky relationship
Christie had been a GOP candidate during the 2016 primary season, but was quickly overshadowed by the brash, in-your-face, tell-it-like-it-is candidate that was Donald Trump.
Christie withdrew from the race after a dismal New Hampshire primary and instead threw his support behind his billionaire friend and the eventual RNC nominee.
However, despite attempts to ingratiate himself with Trump’s team — including the brief stint of leading the president-elect’s transition team in November 2016 — Christie was largely kept at arm’s length and denied a top cabinet position, ostensibly due to bad feelings between him and Kushner.
Christie’s name didn’t appear again beside Trump’s until former chief of staff John Kelly’s departure in December 2018. Christie reportedly declined the role.
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By all accounts, it seems that while Christie and Trump may have once been good friends, their future of working together looks grim.
But will that be enough to convince Christie to challenge an incumbent president from his own party? Only time will tell.