By Hal Brown
Chris Christie scores a knockout against Trump out when it comes to having entertainment value by himself and pitted against Trump it will be a Thrilla in Manila with Chris as Ali and Donald as Joe Frazier. Trump will probably win the primary but Christie will make the race exciting.
The expected formal announcement from Chris Christie that he will run for the GOP nomination has been discussed on MSNBC today (below) and elsewhere in the media (here).
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All of the other announced or potential GOP candidates are treating Trump with kid gloves. It's become a cliche to say they treat him like Voldemort, he whose name must never be uttered. To use this comparison, Christie hopes to be Harry Potter. Fans know whose wizardry ultimately prevailed in the battle between good and evil.
Both Donald Trump and Chris Christie are larger than life. I mean this figuratively, not literally although Christie, who revealed in 2013 that he secretly underwent lap-band surgery for the sake of his wife and kids, if Trump feels threatened by his candidacy will bear the brunt of Trump's bullyish jabs about his being overweight. Trump might call him "corpulent Christie" although corpulent isn't a commonly used word and Trump isn't exactly svelte himself. More likely Trump will just call him fatso.
Although like everyone I know I find it difficult to grasp why so many people think Trump is charismatic. On the other hand in his own unique way I do think Christi is charismatic although outside of New Jersey where he was elected governor twice by decent if not overwhelming margins I am not sure people in the rest of the country find him as engaging as New Jerseyites.
Charisma is defined as a personal quality, evident in the way an individual communicates to others, that makes someone more influential. This power to attract attention and influence people can be embodied in the way someone speaks, what someone says, and how someone looks when communicating. Reference.
Trump is a showman. More than anyone else running to be, or rumor to be considering running, for the GOP nomination Christi is a showman. Like Trump, he is quick with the quip. He thinks on his feet. He is animated. Using boxing as a metaphor, Trump is Mike Tyson and Christie is Muhammad Ali. Trump wouldn't hesitate to bite an opponent's ear, Christie for all his heft would float like a butterfly and make every jab sting like a bee.
There was a time not long ago when Christie didn't show any signs of taking on Trump, let alone taking him on aggressively. For example consider this from an August, 2022 Salon article describing him as a lapdog for Trump in 2016:
How Chris Christie's 2016 "lock her up" speech fueled Trump's rise — and brought us here
Former New Jersey governor may want distance from Trump now — but he was happy to be Trump's 2016 attack dog
Christie has not only wanted to be president since he realized that it might be possible. In 2012 he ran in the GOP primary. He has also opportunistically played the long game by attached himself Trump because he thought this would benefit him down the road.
Christie is a veteran of down and dirty New Jersey politics. His Bridgegate scandal showed how far he'd go to punish those who crossed him. I'd consider his politics middle-conservative rather than far-right extremist. Rather than analyze them you can read them on Wikipedia.
For sheer entertainment I find Christie fun to watch. While he may not met the rules for being in the GOP primary debates because he won't poll high enough, if those in charge of deciding who makes the stage want a larger audience they will make sure Christie is there.
Not that many people would watch a cage match between a 900 pound gorilla and a bunch of capuchin monkeys. Put a second 900 pound gorilla in the cage and it would be must-see TV.
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