Trump Responds to Chris Christie Saying He Won't Rule Out Running Against Him in 2024

President Donald Trump issued a reply of sorts after former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said he would consider running for president again even if Trump seeks the GOP nomination in 2024.

The former Republican governor told radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday that he would not eliminate the possibility of running for president once again in 2024--even if Trump decides to run for re-election in four years. Christie highlighted several campaign errors from Trump which led to his defeat by President-elect Joe Biden and he urged the president to attend Biden's inauguration on January 20 despite being disappointed in his loss.

Amid suggesting on Saturday morning that Afghanistan holds elections that are "far more secure and better run than the USA's," Trump shared a tweet from conservative author Brigitte Gabriel and appeared to rebuke Christie's 2024 aspirations. Christie dropped out of the 2016 presidential campaign in February of that year after a poor performance in the New Hampshire GOP primary—a contest Trump went on to win before defeating Hillary Clinton in the November general election.

"The American people only want President Trump!" Gabriel tweeted, sharing a link to Hewitt's radio interview with Christie last week.

Trump has vacillated between suggestions that he will run for re-election in 2024 right alongside remarks that he doesn't plan on leaving the White House next month, citing baseless "election fraud" claims.

"If President Trump decides to run in 2024 are you ruling out running against him?" Hewitt asked Christie during the conversation.

"I would not, No," Christie replied, before clarifying, "I would not rule it out, Hugh."

Christie said he's doubtful that Trump will attend Biden's inauguration ceremony next month. He also criticized the president for doing "almost the polar opposite" of what the two had practiced ahead of Trump's September presidential debate with Biden. Christie noted that he, Trump and former White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway all had at least six or seven sessions of practice before the president's combative performance in the first debate.

"I think he should [attend Biden's inauguration.] I think these type of rituals and traditions and norms are important in our democracy, but I'm doubtful that he will," Christie said in the Monday interview. "You know Hugh, I don't want to talk about that, I just want to say that my impression is that, I'm doubtful he will. But he's Donald Trump, which makes it very unpredictable...lots of other people have gone through very difficult losses like the president went through."

Christie highlighted how Al Gore and Hillary Clinton attended the inauguration of their respective political opponents despite similarly tough losses. Both Gore and Clinton won the popular vote but lost to George W. Bush and Trump, respectively. Trump was not relatively close to Biden in either the popular vote or electoral votes. The former GOP governor reiterated that he is still "very disappointed that [Trump] lost" to Biden this year.

"Losing in politics hurts much more than winning feels good," Christie added. "That's just a fact."

Newsweek reached out to representatives for Christie as well as the White House Saturday morning.