Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who had been a vocal critic of Donald Trump has dropped out of the Presidential race.
“It’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path to me to win the nomination which is why I’m suspending my campaign tonight for president of the United States,” Christie said at a town hall in Windham, N.H.
Christie has been standing alone as his values did not align with the GOP stance.
Numerous conservatives had additionally been calling on Christie to end his campaign for weeks, so that former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, who’s been surging in the polls, could have a stronger chance to beat Trump for the GOP nomination.
In a live feed on his campaign YouTube page, his mic went live around 5:10 p.m. E.T. and he was speaking about his presidential rivals.
Of Haley, he praised her for “punching above her weight” but said “she’s going to get smoked.” On Ron DeSantis, he said the Florida governor “is petrified” before his mic was abruptly cut.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Haley commended Christie, whom she called a “friend,” for a “hard-fought campaign.”
“Voters have a clear choice in this election: the chaos and drama of the past or a new generation of conservative leadership,” she wrote. “I will fight to earn every vote, so together we can build a strong and proud America.”