Christie says Trump will ‘burn America to the ground’

Chris Christie is stepping up his rhetoric attacking GOP presidential front-runner and rival former President Trump, releasing a new ad declaring Trump will “burn America to the ground.”

Christie, a former New Jersey governor who is angling for a strong showing in New Hampshire to propel his long-shot campaign, stares directly into the camera during the 30-second ad.

“Some people say I should drop out of this race. Really? I’m the only one saying Donald Trump is a liar. He pits Americans against each other,” he says in the ad running in the Granite State.

“His Christmas message to anyone who disagrees with him? ‘Rot in Hell.’ He caused a riot on Capitol Hill — he’ll burn America to the ground to help himself,” Christie adds.

The ad, which began running Thursday, is part of a seven-figure advertisement push in New Hampshire across broadcast and digital platforms. Another ad will begin circulating Friday and “will detail his vision for a better America,” the Christie campaign said.

According to surveys included in The Hill/Decision Desk HQ polling index, Christie currently has 11 percent support in New Hampshire, putting him third behind Trump’s 43.7 percent and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s 26.7 percent, but he’s ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s 8.3 percent.

Christie fares worse nationally and is drawing 3.2 percent support, compared to Trump’s 63.1 percent, according to the polling index.

The former New Jersey governor has been one of the most outspoken critics of Trump and has made his attacks on the former president a central focus of his White House bid. He has also pressed his GOP rivals on why they have not been more vocal with their opposition to Trump.

In Christie’s first campaign ad released earlier this month, he called out the other candidates for going after each other instead of focusing their criticism on the race’s clear front-runner. In that ad, too, he pitched himself as the “only one” going after Trump.

Christie posted his latest ad on X, formerly called Twitter, and said “telling the truth isn’t hard.”

In the video, Christie claims “every Republican leader” privately criticizes Trump but says he is “the only one saying it in public.”

“What kind of president do we want? A liar or someone who’s got the guts to tell the truth?” Christie says in the ad. “New Hampshire, it’s up to you.”

The Hill has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment.