He-Whose-Name-Must-Not-Pronounce. While Donald Trump, who has a 50-point lead in the polls, skipped the 4th televised debate of the Republican primary on Wednesday, Chris Christie compared him to Voldemort, Harry Potter’s nemesis. The former New Jersey governor accused his opponents of “being afraid to criticize” Trump and risk alienating his supporters.
Christie, who is struggling to exceed 2% of voting intentions, plays the role of Donald Trump’s inquisitor, whom he supported in 2016 then abandoned after the assault on the Capitol. “I’m here to tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable,” Christie continued. Returning to the ironic exit of the favorite of the primary, who assured that he would not act like a dictator “except for the first day”, the former federal prosecutor insisted: “I take him at his word. He is an angry and bitter man, who wants revenge on everyone who disagreed with him. » “If you’re afraid of offending Donald Trump, what will you do when you sit across from President Xi? From the Ayatollah? From Putin? »
Ron DeSantis once again played the balancing act. Criticizing Donald Trump’s age, he refused to say whether he believed the former president, who will be 78 next year, was too old to hold the presidential office.
Nikki Haley attacked
If Christie attacked Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and even more Vivek Ramaswamy, fired scuds at Nikki Haley. The former ambassador to the UN, whose candidacy increasingly appeals to the establishment and very wealthy Republican donors, has often smiled in the face of criticism accusing her of being “corrupt” or “of wanting to send young Americans to the battlefields to buy a bigger house.
“I love all the attention guys, thank you,” quipped the fifty-year-old, who in a few weeks went from 4 to 10% in the polls, and is on par with Ron DeSantis in Iowa, and ahead of him in New Jersey and South Carolina. “They criticize me because they are jealous,” she continued.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, taking shocking positions on LGBTQ+ issues and immigration, is accused of a lack of charisma. He is now behind Donald Trump by more than 48 points, according to poll aggregator RealClearPolitics.
“I’m tired of hearing about these polls,” said, visibly annoyed, the former naval officer during the debate, believing that it was up to voters, and not opinion polls, to decide on his fate. Response from January 15 in Iowa.