Furious Chris Christie calls Vivek Ramaswamy a ‘jacka**’ with a ‘woman problem’: New Jersey says he ‘had enough’ with his rival in fiery debate performance including a VERY heated off-air confrontation with Megyn Kelly

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called 2024 rival Vivek Ramaswamy a “jacka**” with a “woman problem” after Wednesday night's fiery fourth Republican primary debate.

Christie and Ramaswamy provided the biggest fireworks display on stage during the two-hour affair at the University of Alabama.

The ex-governor also caused a bit of a stir during a commercial break, asking moderator Megyn Kelly for more time, a source told DailyMail.com, after waiting 17 minutes to speak for the first time.

Afterwards, Christie went on CNN and said he had “had enough” of Ramaswamy.

“He's an asshole,” Christie said.

During the debate, Christie angrily defended fellow GOP candidate Nikki Haley, the former UN ambassador, after she was attacked by Ramaswamy on stage.

“It's not my place to form an alliance with Nikki Haley,” Christie said.

He argued that he was defending her because she is a “fulfilled woman who has worked incredibly hard both in South Carolina and at the UN.”

“And I think Vivek does indeed have a woman problem,” the ex-governor said. 'I think he insults the basic intelligence of women. He's done it again and again. And I think I just had enough tonight. I was tired of listening to his nonsense.'

Christie had bashed Ramaswamy's “smart Harvard mouth” and did so again during his time on CNN.

“If he's dictating to me and Nikki Haley, who has dedicated himself to public service while stealing from seniors to make his fortune, then yeah, I'm not going to take it anymore,” Christie said.

On the stage, Ramaswamy said of Haley that “foreign policy experience is not the same as foreign policy wisdom,” adding that the former U.N. ambassador would not be able to locate certain provinces of Ukraine on a map.

The insult unleashed a tirade from Christie — who needed a high-profile performance to revive his struggling campaign — who defended Haley as a “smart, accomplished woman.”

“This is the fourth debate where in the first twenty minutes you would be voted the most annoying blowout in America,” he told Ramaswamy, after waiting seventeen minutes for the moderators led by Megyn Kelly to ask him a question stated.

Ramaswamy fired back, telling Christie, “His version of his foreign policy experience was closing a bridge from New Jersey to New York.”

“So do everyone a favor, just walk off the podium, enjoy a nice meal and leave this race,” he said.

Ramaswamy once again became the subject of Christie's ire – the two have clashed on the debate stage a number of times – while discussing the war in Ukraine.

The 38-year-old political novice said a “reasonable peace deal” was needed in the war with Russia, then turned to Haley and said she and President Joe Biden were among the only two politicians who believed in the “senseless war” . .'

“One thing that Joe Biden and Nikki Haley have in common is that neither of them can name for you even three provinces in eastern Ukraine that they want to send our troops to actually fight for,” Ramaswamy said.

“She has no idea what the names of these provinces are where she wants to send our sons and daughters, our troops and our military equipment to fight,” he continued.

“So reject the myth that they sold you – that someone had a cup of coffee, had a job at the UN and then made $8 million – that he has real foreign policy experience,” Ramaswamy added admits, arguing that his 'outsider' status gives him an elevated perspective.

Haley kept a straight face during the attack.

“Look at the blank expression,” Ramaswamy said. “She doesn't know the names of the provinces.”

Christie opened the debate by criticizing Trump and then the three candidates on stage.

“The fifth guy who doesn't have the guts to stand here is the one… who's way ahead in the polls,” Christie said. “And yet I have three boys who all seem to be competing with, you know, Voldemort – he who must not be named. They don't want to talk about it.'

“We're 17 minutes into this debate and… we've seen all three of them acting as if this race was between the four of us,” the ex-New Jersey governor said.

Later, he used the same device to hit Ramaswamy.

“I want to say something else, we're 25 minutes into this debate and he has insulted Nikki Haley's basic intelligence, not her positions, her basic intelligence,” he roared. “She doesn't know regions, she couldn't find something on a map that his three-year-old son could.”

“Look, if you want to disagree on certain issues, that's fine, and Nikki and I disagree on some issues. But I'll tell you this: I've known her for 12 years, which is longer than he even started voting in the Republican primaries,” Christie added.

Later, Christie leveled a similar insult at Ramaswamy, saying he was “learning about the counties this smart mouth was at Harvard” while the 61-year-old was chasing terrorists.

Christie's elimination did not deter Ramaswamy's attacks on Haley, who has risen to second place in New Hampshire and is beginning to displace Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for second place in some national polls.

Ramaswamy was asked by moderator Eliana Johnson why he used Haley's full first name “Nimarata” to refer and whether he doubted her Christian faith.

Both candidates were raised Hindu, but Haley converted.

“I don't doubt her faith, but I doubt her authenticity,” Ramaswamy replied.

He hammered her for using “identity politics” by pointing out that she was a woman.

'During the first debate she said only a woman could do this job. That's what she said,” Ramaswamy said.

“After the third debate, when I criticized Ronna McDaniel for five failed years of leadership of this party, and criticized Nikki for her corrupt foreign dealings as a military contractor, she said I had a 'woman problem,'” he said. “Maybe I don't have a woman problem, but you have a corruption problem.”

Ramaswamy had scribbled something on his notepad at the top of the debate.

He showed it to the audience at that moment: 'Nikki = Corrupt.'

“And I think that's what people need to know. Nikki is corrupt,” he said, holding up the tablet.

Ramaswamy was booed.

When Johnson asked Haley if she wanted to respond, she demurred.

“No, it's not worth my time to respond to him,” she said.