“He’s Disqualified Himself as President,” Claims Chris Christie Following Trump’s Anti-Constitution Remarks

William FurneyOct 29, 2023

Minute Read

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, aiming to become the Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election, has suggested Donald Trump can no longer be in the nomination contest because of previous comments he made about lifting Constitutional rules.

Recalling Trump’s Remarks

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Christie said in a contentious GOP debate with candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that Trump was on the record as saying the Constitution could be disregarded in certain circumstances, like issues relating to presidential elections.

Trump ‘Should Not Win’

The GOP hopeful said in the debate that Trump “cannot win a general election, nor should he. I think he’s disqualified himself as a potential president. He’s said it’s okay to suspend the Constitution.”

‘Confused Comments’

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Christie said Trump’s comments went against what the presidential oath was all about. “I think Donald’s confused. The oath for president says ‘preserve, protect, and defend’ not ‘preserve, protect, and suspend.’”

The Presidential Oath

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The presidential oath of office is recited by the president-elect on Inauguration Day, which falls on January 20 every four years, and states: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

2020 Loss Fury

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Following his election loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential vote, a furious Trump refused to concede defeat, insisting the election had been rigged and was stolen from him. He urged his followers to protest at the election outcome by massing on the US Capitol. Thousands of supporters turned up and violence erupted that led to five deaths.

Arrests and Jail Terms

Police arrested around 1,000 people, many of whom have been jailed, including the leader of the far-right Proud Boys group, Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 18 years for his part in organizing the event.

Trump False Election Claim

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In December last year, Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social network:

“Do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION? A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution. Our great ‘Founders’ did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!’”

‘Enemy of the Constitution’

Trump critic Liz Cheney, a Republican representative from Wyoming at the time, reacted to his statement by saying on Twitter (now X), referring to the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021:

“Donald Trump believes we should terminate ‘all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution’ to overturn the 2020 election. That was his view on 1/6 and remains his view today. No honest person can now deny that Trump is an enemy of the Constitution.”

Changing His Tune, Slightly

Following a chorus of criticism from other Republicans about his view on lifting parts of the Constitution, Trump tried to row back on his remarks — by blaming the media.

“The Fake News is actually trying to convince the American People that I said I wanted to ‘terminate’ the Constitution. This is simply more DISINFORMATION & LIES, just like RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, and all of their other HOAXES & SCAMS,” he wrote. But he added that “steps must be immediately taken to right the wrong” over “massive & widespread fraud & deception.”

Trump Way Ahead

Despite the GOP debate and Christie bringing up Trump’s comments about the Constitution, the ex-governor is far behind Trump in the polls. In fact, he’s hardly polling at all. While Trump has a massive lead of nearly 50 percent over his Republican rivals, with 59.9 percent of national polling, according to an average of recent polls, Christie only has 3.1 percent.

DeSantis’ Woes

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Problems with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign have seen him drop about 30 points to his current 14.1 percent. The rest of the pack are lingering even further behind, with less than 10 percent. Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is at 8 percent, Ramaswamy has 5.8 percent of voters’ preferences and Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, is polling at an average of 3.8 percent. Because of his substantial lead, Trump has said he is not taking part in the primary debates.

Christie in the Polls

Separate polling on Christie’s favorability is not good news for him either. The majority, or 51.7 percent, of registered voters, have an unfavorable view of him compared to 21.4 percent who think he’s the right man for the job of president of the United States.