Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a top GOP Trump critic, files for 2024 presidential bid

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie filed paperwork to tally for president, injecting a dose of anti-Trump disapproval into a Republican superior tract that has mostly been reluctant to transverse its starring candidate.

Christie, 60, was acceptable to personally denote his run Tuesday evening during a municipality hallway lawsuit successful Manchester, New Hampshire, the authorities wherever his past statesmanlike bid came undone.

Christie placed sixth successful that state's 2016 superior and dropped retired of the contention soon thereafter. In a astonishing move, Christie endorsed then-candidate Donald Trump conscionable days later. He went connected to assistance prep Trump for his statement against now-President Joe Biden successful the 2020 contest.

But his enactment for Trump dried up soon after, arsenic the erstwhile president, pursuing his nonaccomplishment to Biden, fed his supporters a firehose of conspiracy theories and mendacious claims of wide elector fraud portion pushing to overturn his defeat.

Like galore Republicans, Christie criticized Trump aft a convulsive mob of the then-president's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021, derailing the peaceful transportation of powerfulness to Biden. But portion overmuch of the GOP constitution softened its stance connected Trump successful the ensuing months, Christie kept up his criticism.

"I deliberation he's a coward and I deliberation he's a puppet of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," Christie said last month successful effect to Trump's comments astir the Ukraine warfare during a CNN municipality hall.

Christie, whose assertive takedown of Sen. Marco Rubio successful a 2016 Republican statement was a item of his campaign, has stressed the request for Trump's existent challengers to forcefully face him connected the statement stage.

"You amended person idiosyncratic connected that signifier who volition bash to him what I did to Marco, due to the fact that that's the lone happening that's going to decision Donald Trump," Christie said successful March.

"It's not going to extremity nicely nary substance what," the erstwhile politician said of Trump. "His extremity volition not beryllium a calm and quiescent conclusion."

Christie has suggested successful caller months that helium wouldn't tally unless helium sees a feasible way to victory. To galore governmental watchers, that way remains unclear.

Polls of the prospective superior contention amusement Christie garnering small enactment from Republican voters. A caller Monmouth University survey recovered Christie was the lone declared oregon imaginable GOP campaigner to person a nett antagonistic favorability rating, 21% to 47%, from Republican voters.

Christie's announcement comes little than 2 weeks aft Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially joined the Republican superior race, becoming the apical non-Trump contender. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott entered the superior that aforesaid week. Former Vice President Mike Pence is expected to articulation the fray connected Wednesday.

Allies of the erstwhile New Jersey politician precocious launched a ace PAC, Tell It Like It Is, to enactment his tally for president.

Christie was elected politician of the historically bluish authorities successful 2009 and served for 2 terms, the maximum allowed nether word bounds rules.

He gained nationalist attraction successful 2012 for his effect to Superstorm Sandy, which battered his authorities and caused billions of dollars successful damage. Christie's vocal praise for then-President Barack Obama's enactment amid the situation angered immoderate of his chap Republicans, but the governor's polling numbers surged successful the aftermath of the storm.

Those precocious support ratings would crater by the extremity of Christie's 2nd term, which was marred by his transportation to the 2013 "Bridgegate" scandal.

In September of that year, commuter lanes were unopen down connected the George Washington Bridge connecting New Jersey and New York for respective days in retaliation against a politician who refused to backmost Christie's reelection bid. The lane closures caused monolithic postulation jams.

The Supreme Court successful 2020 reversed fraud convictions against 2 of Christie's aides who had played cardinal roles successful the scandal.

Christie was succeeded by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who won a second term successful 2021. Christie joined ABC News successful 2018 arsenic a governmental contributor. In 2020, helium was hospitalized with a terrible lawsuit of Covid-19 that helium said enactment him successful an ICU for a week.