Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie intends to break a pledge he signed with the Republican National Committee, saying this week that he won’t vote for former President Donald Trump should he win the GOP nomination.
Like all other Republican candidates, Christie had to sign what was called the “Beat Biden Pledge” if he wanted to participate in debates hosted by the RNC. Christie signed that pledge but is now going back on his word.
The RNC put the pledge forth as a way to ensure unity among the party’s most prominent and public figures heading into the crucial 2024 elections. The intention was to steer clear of party in-fighting — specifically between Trump and any other candidate who didn’t win the nomination.
All of the major GOP presidential candidates signed the pledge, which at the time showed that the party was united in its quest to take down President Joe Biden.
Now, though, Christie won’t be keeping his word. He has been a frequent critic of Trump over the last few years — and especially on the campaign trail — so it’s not a complete surprise that he’s doing this.
Chris Christie Says He Won’t Vote For Trump, Breaking RNC Debate Pledge https://t.co/czhwNuPMCU #OAN
— One America News (@OANN) January 4, 2024
That being said, it must be disappointing to the RNC especially, as they gave the former New Jersey governor a major platform at early primary debates only because he promised to vote for the party’s nominee.
Trump didn’t sign the pledge, either, but that’s not as relevant seeing as he hasn’t participated in any of the RNC debates thus far and is going to skip the last one, which will be held next week.
“Why would I sign a pledge?” Trump asked rhetorically over the summer. “There are people on there that I wouldn’t have.”
Presumably, Trump was referring to at least Christie and Mike Pence, his former vice president who was a candidate then but has since dropped out of the race.
It’s very unlikely that Christie will win even one primary state, let alone the GOP nomination. He’s only polling at about 2%, a Fox News survey revealed.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that Christie has a -55 net approval rating.