Chris Christie Slams Donald Trump At CNN Town Hall

At a CNN town hall on Monday night, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took aim at Donald Trump and voiced his opinions about issues like gun control, abortion access and Social Security.

Christie further pushed his self-proclaimed role in the 2024 presidential election as Trump’s chief Republican critic. He began the town hall by discussing the 37-count indictment being brought against Trump for mishandling classified documents and obstructing the Justice Department’s investigation into his actions.

Christie said he was appalled by Trump’s repeated choice to lie and refuse to hand over the documents, saying that the former president “voluntarily put our country through this.” He appealed to both parties in his plea to acknowledge the former president’s wrongdoings.

“Whether you like Donald Trump or you don’t like Donald Trump… this conduct is inexcusable,” said Christie.

His anti-Trump platform has left some Republicans worried that Christie will compromise too much with the Democrats, a concern that he refuted during the town hall event.

“I will make it work for Republican values in the right way… I don’t hold back,” he stated.

Following his analysis of Trump, he began explaining his political views and ideas.

When asked about gun control, he referred to it as “the most difficult public policy question in American politics.” He went on to discuss the importance of law enforcement and mental health.

On the topic of abortion access, Christie danced around questions about the reversal of Roe v. Wade but did say that he believes the issue should be left up to individual states. He was not critical of efforts such as those of Florida officials, who have banned most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

Christie took a stance on Social Security that is unpopular among Republicans, saying that he would consider curbing benefits to wealthy Americans and raising the retirement age for young people.

“You don’t change the retirement age for someone my age. I’m 60,” said Christie, “I’m within eye-shot of that… but you could do a lot of good by changing it for people at a younger age.”

He also vocalized his support of the U.S.’s involvement in the war in Ukraine, calling it a “proxy war with China.” While he offered no concrete plan, Christie did say that he would consider evolving America’s relationship with China.

“For your children and my grandchildren, are they going to live in a world where China is setting the tone? A communist dictatorship… where they tell you what you can think, what you can see and what you can hear? I don’t want that kind of world for your kids, and I don’t want it for my grandchildren,” Christie stated.