Former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday, but undermined his effort to stop Donald J. Trump when he sweepingly dismissed his rivals during a hot-mic moment.
Minutes before his announcement in Windham, N.H., Mr. Christie’s voice could be heard on the event’s livestream, saying, “She’s going to get smoked, and you and I both know it,” in a reference to Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor. “She’s not up to this.” He added of Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, “DeSantis called me, petrified.”
Mr. Trump immediately seized on the remarks, writing on Truth Social that Mr. Christie’s comments about Ms. Haley, who appears to be the most significant obstacle to a Trump victory in New Hampshire, were a “very truthful statement.”
Mr. Christie did not endorse any of his rivals in his speech, nor did he address their prospects against Mr. Trump, dashing the hopes of Republican moderates that his exit would mark a moment of coming together for remaining members of the party who oppose Mr. Trump.
In fact, Mr. Christie denounced his rivals’ long-running public deference to the former president, and offered no positive remarks about their candidacies.
“I would rather lose by telling the truth than lie in order to win,” he said. “And I feel no differently today because this is a fight for the soul of our party and the soul of our country.”
His departure effectively ends a phase of the Republican presidential contest, removing from the field its most aggressive Trump opponent and the only prominent contender who had argued that Mr. Trump was unfit for office — a contention that all but doomed his candidacy from the start.
“Imagine just for a moment if 9/11 had happened with Donald Trump behind the desk,” Mr. Christie said on Wednesday. “The first thing he would have done was run to the bunker to protect himself. He would have put himself first, before this country.”
Mr. Christie also acknowledged regret for his actions after Mr. Trump defeated him in the 2016 primary race. Soon afterward, Mr. Christie shocked the political establishment by endorsing Mr. Trump, becoming the first significant former candidate to back him as his march to the nomination picked up pace.
“For all the people who have been in this race, who have put their own personal ambition ahead of what’s right, they will ultimately have to answer the same questions that I had to answer after my decision in 2016,” Mr. Christie said. “Those questions don’t ever leave. In fact, they’re really stubborn. They stay.”
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
