When one inquires as to why, at this late stage, Chris Christie seems resolved to stay in the Republican-primary charade when he is obviously destined to end up as an ignominious also-ran, one is usually told that Christie is sticking around so that there is at least one candidate on the stage who is willing to stick it directly to Donald J. Trump. I come today to puncture this idea, which is both overstated and over-accepted, which deserves to be set within a context that is far less flattering to Christie, and which, when extrapolated out, renders the stated rationale for his presence entirely hollow.
It is certainly true that, in 2024, Chris Christie has rebranded himself as the most principled anti-Trump candidate within the firmament. But there is branding and there is reality, and, in this case, the two remain distant cousins. Chris Christie can, indeed, be described as an anti-Trump candidate. But he cannot fairly be described as a principled one. There are certain figures within the political universe who have paid a price for their opposition to Trump. Christie is not among them. In 2016, it suited him to be a Trump lackey; in 2024, it suits him to be a Trump critic. In between those eras, Christie experienced no discomfort whatsoever as a result of his positions. He did not, like figures such as Liz Cheney, lose his leadership position and then his career. He did not, like some writers and broadcasters, miss out on lucrative opportunities. He coasted, moving where the wind took him. That has a profound effect on his credibility.
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