Republican presidential candidate and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie fired back at Donald Trump after the former president tore into him during an exclusive sit-down interview with Fox News' Bret Baier.
"What is this commentary from someone who wants to try to lead the whole country?" Christie said on "The Story" Tuesday. "All he cares about is himself. If you watch Bret's interview last night and we’ll get more tonight, that’s what he does. He puts himself first and everyone else second. So being insulted by Donald Trump is a compliment to me," he said.
In part one of the Fox News interview that aired on "Special Report" Monday, Trump was asked to respond to some of his GOP opponents who've challenged his claim that he would resolve the Russia-Ukraine war overnight if he is elected president in 2024.
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Christie has publicly criticized the comment, slamming the sentiment as "ridiculous" while speculating that Trump would likely "try to do it by turning Ukraine over to Putin and Russia." He has also called Trump a "puppet of Putin" and a "coward" for refusing to say that he hopes Ukraine wins the war.
When confronted with Christie's rebuke during Monday's interview, Trump maintained that he would be able to negotiate a resolution between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours – but not before taking aim at the former New Jersey governor and his record.
"Number one, Chris Christie, who I know well, he got out of New Jersey after the Bridgegate scandal, which was a mess. He got out of New Jersey with a 9% approval rating, and most people say it was less than that. He wouldn’t be the right guy to do it, but I am," Trump said. "I got along with Zelenskyy very well. With Putin, I have a very good relationship.
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Trump clarified that he hasn't spoken to Putin "in a while." However, Christie said it's clear the former president has "no idea what he's talking about."
"Look, I heard what he said about how he would settle this in 24 hours," he told "The Story" anchor Martha MacCallum. "This is exactly what he said. ‘I would say something to Zelensky, something to Putin. I’d Put them in a room and it would be over.' The American people deserve a better answer than that. The reason is he has no idea what he’s talking about. He’s making it up. As far as his insults at me, like, who cares? He insults everyone."
Christie later pointed to Trump's claim that he did not have time to sort through boxes at Mar-a-Lago that held classified documents and some of his personal items because he was "very busy." Trump made the comment during the "Special Report" interview, where he defended his reluctance to hand over the boxes of documents that ultimately led to his indictment on 37 federal charges.
"You have to take with a grain of salt everything he says," Christie responded. "Every picture I saw of Donald Trump since he left the White House, you see him on a golf course playing golf. Maybe he could have spent a few hours going through the boxes so we could avoid what is happening here to the country."
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Trump and Christie have traded barbs with one another since the former governor joined the race for the GOP nomination earlier this month. Christie recently called Trump a "juvenile" and a "baby" after he targeted him with fat jokes.
"Look, the minute you speak out against him, Bret, you know what he does? He lashes back out like a child," Christie said. "And if you or I were raising that child, we'd send them to their room, not to the White House."
