Conservative Christie endorses Trump
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The Republican party’s last-gasp bid to deny Donald Trump the presidential nomination suffered a momentous setback Friday, when the billionaire won the shock endorsement of charismatic conservative Chris Christie.
Christie — a New Jersey governor once seen as White House material himself — jettisoned earlier criticism to describe Trump as best placed to defeat Democrats in the November election and “provide America with the strong leadership that it needs.”
“The single most important thing for the party is to nominate the person to give us the best chance to beat Hillary Clinton,” said Christie, who joined Trump on the campaign trail in Florida to pledge his support, two weeks after dropping out of the race himself.
Riding a populist wave that has often veered toward racism and demagoguery, the real estate mogul has won three of the first four statewide nominating contests before next week’s “Super Tuesday,” when 11 more states vote.
The meticulously timed endorsement from Christie — the first from a major Republican figure — immediately dulled a newly launched assault by the party mainstream aimed at block- ing Trump’s path to the White House before it is too late.
During a heated debate Thursday, Trump’s closest rival, Marco Rubio, tore into him for the first time, drawing blood through accusations that he illegally hired foreigners and lived large off his father’s fortune.
Seen by many as the Republican establishment’s best hope in the race, Rubio was joined by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in what seemed to be a concerted effort to weaken Trump, and he doubled down on Friday: “A con artist is about to take over the Republican Party and the conservative movement and we have to put a stop to him,” the Florida senator warned.
The chaotic 2016 campaign has seen Trump transformed from mocked celebrity TV star to the prohibitive favorite to become the Republican party’s White House nominee.
A good showing on Tuesday would put Trump within touching distance of having enough delegates to secure the party nomination in July.
That has sparked a virtual civil war among Republicans, between those who believe a Trump victory would destroy the party and those who believe he could beat Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee.
This week, 2012 Republican candidate Mitt Romney joined in the charge against Trump and begged campaigns to join the fight.
Millions have already been channeled into anti-Trump ads, and into lambasting the real estate mogul on Twitter and in other media.
Romney joined the fray by repeatedly calling on Trump to release his tax returns, suggesting there may be a “bombshell” that would make him unelectable.
Christie’s endorsement of Trump is unlikely to win over many voters, but it significantly dampens the anti-Trump message that had been emerging from within the party.
Christie, as the Republican governor of a Democratic state, has long been seen as one of the party’s most talented politicians.
Although he was forced to drop out of this year’s White House race after polling badly, he provides Trump with a powerful surrogate, who has earned a reputation as a potent attack dog.
Christie offered an extended preview of that role Friday, hurling barb after barb at Rubio, who he painted as a “nervous nellie” who was “wholly unprepared to be president of the United States.”
Turning to Rubio’s debate performance, Christie said “desperate people in campaigns do desperate things. Flailing punches in the last days of a losing campaign.”
Rubio has yet to win a state, but a series of solid performances has kept him in the game.