WINDHAM, N.H. – Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former President Donald Trump's most vocal critic, dropped out of the 2024 presidential race Wednesday, issuing a severe warning about the former president and his impact on the nation.

Christie made the announcement at an event in New Hampshire, telling a group of less than 100 voters that he has been "in this race to tell the truth."

"If we want to change this party, and if we want to change this country, it's hard work. It's not easy," Christie said. "From the moment I got into the race, the decision that I made was really simple: I would rather lose by telling the truth than lie in order to win."

"I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump ever be president the United States again," Christie said. "And that's more important than my own personal ambition."

Christie didn't endorse a challenger, but his exit could shore up more support for his Republican rivals who remain in the race.

Political analysts have predicted Christie's withdrawal from the race could help former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is moving up against Trump in several New Hampshire polls. In a recent USA TODAY/ Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll, a fair share of his supporters said they would support Haley, but not all of them. Without Christie in the race, Trump would lead Haley 47%-32%, the survey found.

But Christie veered from supporting Haley as he dropped out of the race. He was caught on a hot mic Wednesday saying she is "going to get smoked," minutes before announcing the suspension of his own 2024 White House bid.

During his Wednesday remarks, Christie also took a more direct shot at Haley, telling the crowd "Benjamin Franklin's words were never more relevant in America than they are right now. The last time they were that relevant was the Civil War — which of course we know was caused by slavery.” Haley last month faced backlash after she failed to mention slavery as a cause of the Civil War.

But Haley still lauded Christie Wednesday, sharing in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that "Chris Christie has been a friend for many years. I commend him on a hard-fought campaign."

But not all Republican leaders celebrated Christie on Wednesday. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared to reference Christie's comments on Haley, sharing in a post on X, "I agree with Christie that Nikki Haley is 'going to get smoked.'"

Trump also responded to Christie's exit, sharing in a post on his Truth Social platform “I hear Chris Christie is dropping out of the race today — I might even get to like him again!" Meanwhile, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy simply told USA TODAY "better late than never."

Will Hurd, a former GOP presidential candidate who endorsed Haley when he dropped out of the race, told USA TODAY he "admires' Christie's choice: "It's a tough decision. But it's the right call. He cares about the future of the country, and we can't have a great future with Joe Biden and Donald Trump."

Just a day before Christie’s move, the former prosecutor adamantly told another New Hampshire crowd he planned to stay in the race to be the leading voice against Trump and criticized Haley for not attacking the former president.

“I've said from the beginning, that if I didn't see a path to winning, that I would get out,” Christie told those attending his Rochester, New Hampshire, event. “I got plenty of titles. The only reason to do this is to win.”

“How do you beat somebody if you won't say why they don't belong being president?” he added. “She says he's fit to be president ... and here's the worst part - she knows it.”

Though Christie came into the race as a low-polling candidate, his constant criticism of Trump's four criminal indictments and presidency and status as the first GOP candidate to visit Israel after the war with Hamas began to set him apart from other candidates.

During the second GOP debate in September, he called out Trump for not being on stage with the other candidates. He also called for additional mental health resources across the country, rejected a six-week federal abortion ban, supported action on climate change and backed additional aid to Ukraine and Israel on the campaign trail.

Originally Posted By gwg77⏩