Christie to Harris on second Trump debate challenge: ‘Don’t do it’

Former GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie warned Vice President Harris against challenging former President Trump to another debate following Tuesday’s showdown.

“Nothing great can happen for her in a second debate,” the former New Jersey governor said on The View Wednesday. “She’ll either do as well as she did this time… or he could do better.” 

The Harris campaign quickly challenged Trump to another debate after Tuesday night’s matchup wrapped up, as pundits largely agreed that she had the stronger performance.

Trump has declined to accept the challenge, however, arguing that it’s Harris who lost, comparing her to a prize fighter demanding a rematch.

“She needed to show those undecided voters that she belonged on that stage, and last night she showed that she belongs on the stage,” Christie said. “That’s why — look, I saw her campaign put out a challenge for a second debate right after the debate. Please stop. Don’t do it!”

Christie called Trump’s debate showing a “huge fail” during an interview with ABC News directly after the debate, saying the ex-president “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.” 

On The View, Christie slammed Trump for the way he treated Harris during the debate, contrasting it the way Trump spoke to Hillary Clinton in 2016. 

“One of the most disturbing parts of the whole thing was, he (Trump) wouldn’t look at her,” Christie said of Tuesday’s debate. “Even when he was talking about her, he kept looking straight ahead.” 

“I could tell you that when I was preparing him in 2016, he had enormous respect for Hillary Clinton. He used to say all the time, ‘she’s really smart, she’s really tough, she’s really good,’” Christie said.

During the first debate between Trump and Clinton, Trump appeared to be on his best behavior, referring to her as “Secretary Clinton” and checking on her, The Associated Press recounted. 

“He doesn’t think this about Vice President Harris – wrongly, but he doesn’t think that… he displayed his lack of respect for her,” Christie added.  

Christie has been a consistent voice of opposition against Trump within the Republican party since falling out with Trump after the 2020 election, and vowed to continue warning voters of the dangers of another Trump term after dropping out of the race in January. 

A CNN flash poll following the debate found that 63 percent of registered voters who watched the debate said that Harris outperformed Trump. 

Christie advised Harris to quit while she’s ahead.

“Seriously, you get in a ring against a guy who has had more presidential debates than anybody in history and you knock him around. Raise your arms, go do two rallies a day, raise some money, and go home, man, because nothing great can happen for her in a second debate,” he said.