Thread: Chris Christie Endorses Donald Trump

12:49PM ET12:49PM ET ByMaggie Haberman

Chris Christie Endorses Donald Trump

Chris Christie and Donald J. Trump at the Republican debate in New Hampshire on Feb. 6.Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey endorsed Donald J. Trump on Friday, a major turn in a wild race and one that gives the New York businessman a major boost as he heads into the pivotal Super Tuesday contests.

Mr. Christie was a candidate himself until he came in sixth place in New Hampshire’s primary.

Seeing his political career facing an abrupt conclusion at the end of a second term as governor following his faded presidential campaign, he was said to be is deeply angry with Senator Marco Rubio, according to three people with direct knowledge of his thinking. He blames Mr. Rubio’s “super PAC” for halting his momentum in New Hampshire in December with a string of slash-and-burn ads.

“He’s been my friend for many years, he’s been a spectacular governor,” said Mr. Trump, standing with Mr. Christie at a press conference in Fort Worth, Texas, for the endorsement.

“I am proud to be here to endorse Donald Trump,” said Mr. Christie, noting they have been friends for a decade.

Mr. Trump “will do exactly what needs to be done to make America a leader around the world again,” said Mr. Christie.

But his backing of Mr. Trump comes after weeks of him saying that it was time for the “entertainment” portion of the race to end, and as he had said that the type of executive leadership that a governor has is important.

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/firs...-donald-trump/

‘No one better’ Chris Christie endorses Donald Trump for president



POSTED 12:58 PM, FEBRUARY 26, 2016, BY CNN WIRE, UPDATED AT 01:03PM, FEBRUARY 26, 2016

WASHINGTON — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie endorsed Donald Trump’s presidential bid Friday at a press conference in Texas, saying there is no one better prepared to lead the country in the Republican 2016 race.

“It is my great honor to receive the endorsement of the Governor. We have had a wonderful relationship for many years. He is a solid person that I have tremendous respect for. I am really proud to receive the support of the Governor and his family,” Trump said after the endorsement.

Christie ended his own presidential bid earlier this month.

“Donald is a leader. He is a successful person that, like me, isn’t afraid to tell it like it is,” Christie said. “Our system is broken and it won’t be fixed from the inside. I am proud to offer my endorsement of his candidacy for President.”

http://wtvr.com/2016/02/26/chris-chr...-donald-trump/

Starts at 32:01

LIVE: Chris Christie Endorses Trump, Donald Trump Rally in Ft. Worth Texas




FOX 10 Phoenix


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mq5hrUDoYo

Did not see this one coming.

W

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

Did not see this one coming.

W

How about this one?

Ben Carson to Endorse Donald Trump

Cristie is looking for the VP job.

Trump lands his first congressional endorsements (Duncan Hunter R-Calif.)

2/24/16

Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele: ‘BOOM!’ Trump’s Christie Endorsement Was A ‘Drop The Mic Moment’



by PATRICK HOWLEY
26 Feb 2016
1,059 comments

Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Michael Steele tells Breitbart News that Chris Christie’s endorsement of Donald Trump Friday was a pivotal moment in the campaign.

“One word, BOOM! Exclamation point,” Steele said in an interview. “Today after what we saw Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)
do last night, he was out there attacking Trump on twitter and Trump was like, got one for you, BOOM!”

“Now the guy who defined Marco a few weeks ago is back in the game. He’s engaged, and he’s working with Trump. BOOM!”

Christie formally endorsed Trump in Texas at a press conference Friday before a major rally, calling Trump a longtime personal friend and saying that Trump is the most feared Republican to square off against Democrats in the general election. Christie previously scored a massive triumph when he mocked Marco Rubio’s memorized scripted talking points in a Republican debate in New Hampshire.

“The man is amazing,” Steele said of Trump. “I’ve never seen anything like this in politics. I don’t think there’s any descriptor for what Donald Trump has done to the political process and the Republican Party. There’s no one else playing this game better than him.”

Steele noted the size of the crowd at the Trump rally in Fort Worth.

“10,000 people in this stadium, those are general election numbers,” Steele said. “If there’s 10,000 in the primary what do you think the general is going to be?”

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also declared Friday that Christie’s endorsement of Donald Trump is a great sign for Trump’s chances to become the standard-bearer of the Republican Party.

Newt Gingrich ✔ ‎@newtgingrich
This Chris Christie endorsement of Trump is real signal to GOP establishment that they had better begin thinking about Trump as the future
10:20 AM - 26 Feb 2016

http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...he-mic-moment/

BY AARON RUPAR FEB 26, 2016 2:12 PM

The Most Disappointing Thing About Chris Christie’s Endorsement Of Donald Trump

In a somewhat surprising development, Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) endorsed Donald Trump for president on Friday.

“There is no one who is better prepared to provide America with the strong leadership that it needs both at home and around the world, than Donald Trump,” Christie said at a news conference. “He is, looking at the five people on that stage last night [at the GOP debate], the clear standout, and the person who will do exactly what needs to be done to make America a leader around the world again.”

About five years ago, Christie made news for vehemently defending his decision to appoint a Muslim judge, Sohail Mohammed, to a state bench. Mohammed defended Muslims who were wrongly accused in the wake of the September 11 attacks, which some conservatives suggested made him an unqualified candidate.

Christie made clear he was “disgusted” by the “ignorance behind the criticism of Sohail Mohammed.” At an August 2011 news conference, he said:

They are criticizing him because he is a Muslim American…I was disgusted, candidly, by some of the questions he was asked by both parties at the Senate judiciary committee…Sharia Law has nothing to do with this at all — it’s crazy! It’s crazy. The guy’s an American citizen…This Sharia Law business is crap. It’s just crazy, and I’m tired of dealing with the crazies. It’s just unnecessary to be accusing this guy of things just because of his religious background.

Watch the video:

Christie’s comments are inconsistent with Trump’s much-publicized proposal to ban Muslims from the United States, a proposal he’s highlighted at campaign events that have featured violence and in at least one instance the ejection of a Muslim woman for no good reason.

But both Trump and Christie have a history of moving from relatively moderate positions to positions further right on the political spectrum. For instance, Christie once supported an assault weapons ban, but now says he supports making it easier for people to own and carry guns. Trump’s views on guns have evolved in a very similar direction.

Both Christie and Trump went from being pro-choice to opposing abortion rights. Both were for Planned Parenthood before they were against it. (Trump acknowledges Planned Parenthood does “some very good work” but says as president he supports defunding the organization so long as they provide abortion services.)

During his presidential campaign, Christie abandoned his support for a pathway to citizenship — a view that obviously aligns with Trump’s harsh rhetoric about immigrants. Both he and Trump have said they aren’t concerned about climate change.

Last but perhaps not least, Christie and Trump both really, really dislike Marco Rubio.

Christie’s endorsement of Trump comes about seven months after the governor downplayed the significance of Trump’s campaign, telling Fox and Friends that “nobody in the real world” cared about Trump’s immigration comments.

In the same interview, however, Christie acknowledged he and Trump are longtime friends — a theme he returned to today.

“He has been a good and loyal friend to our family,” Christie, referring to Trump, said during today’s newser.

The Most Disappointing Thing About Chris Christie's Endorsement Of Donald Trump | ThinkProgress