Christie booed as he accuses Republicans of 'not living in reality' for supporting Trump
The former New Jersey Governor accused the crowd of "not living in reality" when they booed him for saying Trump would be imprisoned.
Chris Christie was the only candidate willing to outwardly attack Donald Trump onstage Wednesday, going so far as accusing the debate crowd of not "living in reality."
The former New Jersey governor accused his fellow Republican presidential hopefuls of being soft on the former president, who is currently leading all polls despite not showing up to a single debate.
"This is an angry, bitter man who now wants to be back as president because he wants to exact retribution on anyone who has disagreed with him, anyone who has tried to hold him to account for his own conduct," Christie said.
"[Trump] has taken shots at everybody — whether they’ve given him great service or not over time — who dares to disagree with him. I understand why these three are timid to say anything about it," he added.
Pharma entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy added his own dig at the candidates, accusing them of "licking Donald Trump’s boots" for years.
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The rest of the candidates remained relatively quiet on critizing Trump.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said she wouldn't instute a Muslim ban like Trump promised to, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis steered clear of directly attacking Trump, instead saying he would prefer a candidate who is in the prime of his life.
Trump is currently facing four criminal probes in various states for election fraud, mishandling classified documents, and civil fraud.
In his closing statements, Christie argued that Trump will not be able to vote in 2024 because he will be in prison. When he was booed, he accused the crowd of "not living in reality."
Trump leads the rest of the candidates with 61 percent support, according to a recent CBS News/YouGov poll. DeSantis follows with 18 percent and Haley with nine percent.
In one particularly TV-ready moment, Ramswamy held up a notepad scribbled with the words, "Nikki = Corrupt."
He repeatedly tried to link Haley to corruption by commenting on her rising net worth after she left the governorship and joined the board of Boeing and the speaker circuit.
Trans issues have dominated much of Wednesday's debate. DeSantis has led the charge by banning hormones and puberty blockers for minors and passing a bill preventing teachers from revealing their sexual orientation in schools.
Wednesday's debate is being held in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is being hosted by former CNN and NBC host Megyn Kelly.
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