Politics
Christie to View co-host: Don’t insult my voters by saying they’d switch to Haley
By Jake Beardslee · January 3, 2024
In brief…
- Christie pushes back on "The View" co-host who suggested his supporters would go to Haley
- Argues Haley has tried to cozy up to Trump while also running against him
- Comes as Christie ramps up criticism of GOP rivals for not taking on Trump
- Shows continued divisions in GOP over Trump and how to handle his supporters
GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie had strong words for “The View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin on Wednesday, pushing back on her suggestion that his supporters would flock to Nikki Haley if he dropped out of the 2024 race.
During an appearance on the daytime talk show, Griffin told Christie she would love to vote for him in the Republican primary but questioned why he wouldn’t throw his support behind Haley to consolidate support against Donald Trump.
“How insulting to my voters that you would think that they would immediately just waltz over to Nikki Haley, even though Nikki Haley has called Donald Trump ‘the right president for the right time,’” Christie fired back.
Christie argued Haley has been trying to have it both ways - running against Trump while also cozying up to him and his base, he previously told Fox News.
The tense exchange comes as Christie has ramped up criticism of both Haley and Ron DeSantis for not taking on Trump more directly. He has accused them of being afraid to call out the former president despite positioning themselves as alternatives.
Haley was also in the hot seat on “The View” Tuesday over her initial failure to mention slavery when asked about the causes of the Civil War. Co-host Sunny Hostin told Griffin she shouldn’t support Haley after that flub.
The back-and-forth illustrates how divided Republicans remain over Trump’s ongoing influence. With the former president in the race again, the GOP field is grappling with how to peel away his supporters without alienating them entirely.