Chris Christie says Trump is ‘becoming crazier’ and claims the ‘walls are closing in’ as he slams competitor Nikki Haley for saying ex-president IS fit to serve again

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie claims the 2024 election will only make Donald Trump “crazier” and says Nikki Haley should be “ashamed of herself” for not condemning him.

And while Christie has not ruled out working with Haley to defeat the ex-president in the primaries, he worries that she is “enabling” him by saying he is fit for another term.

“He's getting worse and worse by the day, Jake, and voters better start paying attention to exactly what he's saying,” the anti-Trump candidate said Sunday in a conversation with CNN State of the Union host Jake Tapper.

More specifically, Christie was disgusted that Trump quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin during a campaign speech in New Hampshire on Saturday evening.

“Donald Trump realizes the walls are closing in,” Christie said on Sunday. 'He's getting crazier. And now he's bringing in Vladimir Putin as a character witness, a man who is a murderous criminal all over the world.”

“It's time to send Donald Trump back to Mar-a-Lago for good,” he emphasized.

During those same rally remarks, Trump went after the former governor of New Jersey, asking “has he nothing better to do” than run for president, despite his dismal election numbers.

Speaking to an audience member who shouted at the rally, Trump sarcastically quipped, “Please don't call Chris Christie a fat pig, okay? It's not appropriate because you can't use the word fat. You can use the word pig.”

Christie went after fellow 2024 candidate Haley, who is in second place in New Hampshire with just 15 points separating her from Trump.

But Christie claims Haley is not going hard enough on Trump and should condemn him more harshly.

“He's disgusting,” Christie said, claiming the ex-president is blaming economic stressors and recent world conflicts “on people from places that don't look like us.”

“The other problem with this is Republicans saying this is OK,” the Republican candidate added. “Nearly a hundred members of Congress have endorsed Nikki Haley, who said this week that he is qualified to be president. You're telling me that someone who says immigrants are poisoning the blood of this country, someone who says Vladimir Putin is a character witness, fit to be president of the United States, was in the right place at the right time?”

“Nikki Haley should be ashamed and she is part of the problem because she enables him,” he continued. “She empowers him by telling people, it's OK. Let me be very clear. I'm in this race to let people know that it's not okay. It's not okay for an American president to say these things. And she should be ashamed of herself.”

Haley has not ruled out that he wants to get on a Republican ticket with Trump as vice president in 2024.

Meanwhile, Christie has made his mark in the primaries as the most fervently anti-Trump candidate and has repeatedly criticized him for refusing to debate.

“I'm working to beat Donald Trump and I'm the only one in the race working to beat Donald Trump,” Christie told CBS News Face the Nation when asked Sunday morning if he would ever work with Haley to defeat Trump defeat. .

“If she hasn't ruled out being his vice president, I don't think you can consider her a serious competitor against him,” he continued.

Ron DeSantis and I have both ruled out accepting Donald Trump's vice presidency. Nikki Haley doesn't have that. That's why she doesn't say harsh things against Donald Trump, why she says he's qualified to be president of the United States.”