Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) labeled former President Trump’s debate performance against Vice President Harris on Tuesday evening as a “huge fail.”
“Harris did what she had to do, which was to prove that she belonged on that stage. She has a voice that want to try to unite the country,” Christie told ABC News, which moderated the debate, directly following the forum. “And Donald Trump spent more time talking about people eating pets, people at his rallies and whether he had more or less, than he did about the economy.”
“And that is a huge fail tonight,” he added in the interview, highlighted by Mediaite.
Christie, who ran a challenge to Trump in the GOP primary before dropping out ahead of the Iowa caucuses earlier this year, has become one of the former president’s most outspoken Republican critics.
He said Harris’s performance in the debate showed she was “exquisitely well-prepared,” because she laid traps for Trump and he “chased every rabbit down every hole.” Christie added that the former president was baited to go on tangents and bring up conspiracy theories about immigrants eating pets — a claim that his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), has also faced scrutiny for floating.
“Whoever did debate prep for Donald Trump should be fired,” the former governor said. “He was not good tonight at all.”
The high-stakes debate was seen as a critical moment for Harris. She sought to introduce herself and her policy stances to voters while simultaneously baiting Trump into giving an erratic performance.
After faring well against Trump, Christie believes Harris is now being seen by Americans as a “potential president.”
“That’s what she needed to accomplish tonight. Trump better get to work, or he’s going to lose this election,” he said.
A CNN flash poll conducted after the debate found that 63 percent of voters said Harris outperformed Trump.