In a post on his Truth Social site, former President Trump slammed Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie for doing poorly in New Hampshire in the 2016 race.
“Sloppy Chris Christie did so poorly in the Great State of New Hampshire in 2016 that immediately after the votes were counted, he dropped out and endorsed me,” Trump said.
Trump said Christie then headed home to New Jersey, where he was governor at the time, “to an approval rating of 9%.” The former president took a dig at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for abandoning his state to campaign, too.
“New Hampshire doesn’t like that Sloppy RINO Dog, and they don’t like Ron, who is in 5th place, either. MAGA!” Trump’s post said.
The Hill has reached out to Christie for comment.
Christie released his first campaign advertisement Friday. In the ad, the narrator said the former governor is the only candidate who can beat Trump because “he’s the only one trying.”
So far in the Republican primary, Christie has framed himself as the anti-Trump candidate, while the others have refrained from targeting the former president.
Christie has reportedly focused a majority of his campaign efforts in New Hampshire, with the hope that a strong performance there would lead to support across the country. Still, he faces increased criticism and calls for him to drop out of the race.
Christie’s team announced that he will be campaigning in the state at various town hall events next week.
Christie is polling at about 13 percent in the Granite State, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ polling averages. Trump is in the lead with about 46 percent support.
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is in second, with 20 percent support in the state.