Chris Christie to announce White House bid next week

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to announce his run for the White House next Tuesday at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, sources confirmed to NewsNation.

Christie will join a long list of GOP presidential hopefuls, including former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who just announced his run last week.

The former New Jersey governor has had an interesting relationship with Trump. After being foes in the 2016 primary contest, Christie endorsed Trump for the nomination and actually helped him prepare in 2020 for the general election debates.

However, after the election, Christie became a Trump critic, repeatedly saying in recent months that Republican candidates need to take Trump on directly if he is going to be beaten for the nomination.

Christie has also since called Trump a “coward” and “puppet of Putin,” Axios reported.

The former governor has also criticized other current and potential Republican candidates for being afraid to attack Trump, saying at a town hall in New Hampshire last month that he does not believe other Republicans would be harmed by going after Trump. 

“I don’t believe that Republican voters penalize people who criticize Trump,” he said. “If you think you’re a better person to be president than Donald Trump, then you better make that case.” 

Christie’s allies launched a new super PAC to support his expected candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday.

The new group, “Tell It Like It Is” — a riff on Christie’s 2016 campaign slogan — will be led by GOP operative Brian Jones, as well as Republican National Committee member Bill Palatucci and Russ Schriefer, all longtime advisers.

“Governor Christie has proven he’s unafraid to tell it like it is and is willing to confront the hard truths that currently threaten the future of the Republican Party,” Jones said in a statement. “Now more than ever we need leaders that have the courage to say not what we want to hear, but what we need to hear.”

Longtime aides Mike DuHaime and Maria Comella will lead the former governor’s campaign effort, according to The New York Times.

Christie’s primary focus is expected to be the New Hampshire primary.

The former governor will likely face an uphill battle for the nomination if he goes through with a run. He is currently polling at the bottom of the large candidate pack, and there appears to be little appetite in the party for an anti-Trump candidate, even as many Republican voters say they are open to an alternative.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.