新罕布什尔州曼彻斯特前新泽西州长克里斯·克里斯蒂周二宣布他将竞选总统，加入坚定的反特朗普声音到一个仍在增长的共和党初选领域一直犹豫是否直接与前总统和早期的领先者较量。
克里斯蒂对特朗普没有这样的不情愿，他在新罕布什尔州一个小时的市政厅式活动中明确表示了这一点。
“在我们历史上的每个关键时刻，都有小与大之间的选择——美国成为历史上最不同、最成功、对世界其他地区来说最神话般的光，因为我们总是选择大，”克里斯蒂在曼彻斯特的圣安瑟伦学院说，开始了他的竞选活动。
“我今晚在这里的原因是因为这是其中的一个时刻，”他说。
在大约30分钟的演讲结束时，克里斯蒂提到了约翰·亚当斯总统和第一夫人阿比盖尔·亚当斯之间的一次谈话，并向观众发誓:“我不能保证我将要做的事情会成功，但我向你们保证，在结束时，你们会毫不怀疑我是谁，我代表什么，我是否值得。”
“这就是我回到圣安瑟姆的原因...告诉你们所有人，我打算在2024年寻求共和党提名为美国总统候选人，我需要你们的支持。
在他的讲话和对观众问题的回答中，克里斯蒂反复指责特朗普，称他“自私”和“自我消费”。克里斯蒂认为，追随特朗普是赢得提名的途径。
“八年前，这很有趣。八年前，你被娱乐了。我原谅你，”他在谈到特朗普的2016年竞选时说。“这一点也不好笑。这一点都不好笑。它不再有娱乐性了。”
2023年6月6日，新泽西州前州长克里斯·克里斯蒂在新罕布什尔州戈夫斯顿的圣安瑟姆学院的新罕布什尔州市政厅发表演讲。
约瑟夫·普雷齐奥索/法新社
前美国广播公司新闻撰稿人克里斯蒂明确表示，他不仅是在竞选中呼吁他在白宫的四年里大力支持的人;他说，他参加竞选是因为他也想赢。
“我追查特朗普的原因有两个。一，这是他应得的。第二，这是取胜之道。所以这两个是不分的。...让我非常明确地说:我去那里是为了除掉唐纳德·特朗普，但原因是——我想赢，”克里斯蒂说。
他还叫出了其他共和党人的名字，他说不要叫出特朗普的名字，将其比作哈利波特系列中对伏地魔的怀疑——“他不应该被命名”。
虽然克里斯蒂最初更巧妙地抨击了特朗普——称他为“镜子猪”——但最终他援引了前总司令。
克里斯蒂说:“让我说清楚，以防我还没有说清楚:我正在谈论的那个人，他痴迷于镜子，从不承认错误，从不承认错误，总是为任何错误找到别人和其他事情来责备，但却找到一切理由为任何正确的事情邀功——是唐纳德·特朗普。”“如果我们不和你们进行这样的对话，我们就没有资格要求你们投票。”
后来，一名15岁的与会者问他，当他似乎对特朗普选民没有吸引力时，他打算如何“赢得他们的支持”，克里斯蒂拒绝了这个前提——他开玩笑说，他很高兴这个年轻人还没有到投票的年龄。
“没有特朗普选民这种东西。他不拥有它们。他没有取得它们的所有权。它们不是他的建筑。他们不是他在新泽西失败的赌场之一，”克里斯蒂说。“我投了他两次票。好吧，那我是特朗普的选民吗?当然不会，伙计。”
“美利坚合众国的选举不仅仅是一个选择，”他继续说道，并认为这次选举中，选民将有新的选择来做出除特朗普以外的选择。
虽然在近三个小时的活动中，克里斯蒂大部分时间都在与特朗普进行对比，但他也反对总统乔·拜登，认为拜登已经过了他的全盛时期。
“我认识他已经40年了。他是个好人。他力所不及。因为他已经不是以前的他了，”克里斯蒂说。“父亲时间总是赢——他总是赢。他也不是以前的他了。所以我们不需要胆小、安静、不经常在白宫和我们说话的人。”
克里斯蒂在一个关键的早期初选州开始了他的竞选活动，这也是这位前州长在2016年竞选期间的一个焦点，这是他首次试图赢得白宫。那次竞选在“全国第一”的初选后几天就结束了，尽管他在该州付出了巨大努力，但他还是名列第六。退出后不久，他支持了当时的候选人特朗普，并在整个总统任期内继续大力支持特朗普。
骚乱发生后，这种情况发生了变化2021年1月6日袭击了美国国会大厦特朗普及其盟友发起了长达一个月的运动，通过指控大规模欺诈来使2020年大选的结果非法化。没有证据支持那些虚假的说法。
克里斯蒂加入了一个已经很大的领域，除了前总统之外，还包括前驻联合国大使和前南卡罗来纳州州长妮基·黑利、南卡罗来纳州参议员蒂姆·斯科特、前阿肯色州州长阿萨·哈钦森、科技企业家维韦克·拉马斯瓦米和佛罗里达州州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯，后者目前在特朗普之后排名第二。
特朗普在其社交媒体平台Truth Social上发表了一篇帖子，对克里斯蒂的发布做出了反应。根据他发帖的时间，特朗普似乎至少在直播观看了克里斯蒂的一些言论。
“克里斯·克里斯蒂用了多少次‘小’这个词?他对尺寸有心理问题吗?事实上，他的演讲很小，也不是很好。它到处乱走，没有人知道他在说什么，”特朗普写道，称克里斯蒂“难以观看”，“无聊”，是一个“失败的”州长。
周一，在1月6日的事件发生之前，印第安纳州前州长迈克·彭斯一直为特朗普忠诚的副总统服务归档文件预计他将于星期三在爱荷华州正式宣布他期待已久的竞选活动。
北达科他州州长道格·伯根在全国相对不知名，预计他也将于周三开始竞选活动。
Chris Christie launches 2024 bid: Choose 'big' over 'small,' he says, slamming Trump as 'mirror hog'
MANCHESTER, N.H. --Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced on Tuesday that he is running for president,adding a firm anti-Trump voiceto a still growingRepublican primary fieldthat has been hesitant to directly take on the former president and early front-runner.
Christie had no such reluctance about Trump, as he made clear in an hourslong town hall-style event in New Hampshire.
"At every pivotal moment in our history, there was a choice between small and big -- and America became the most different, the most successful, the most fabulous light for the rest of the world in history because we always picked big," Christie said at Manchester's Saint Anselm College, kicking off his campaign.
"The reason I'm here tonight is because this is one of those moments," he said.
At the end of a roughly 30-minute speech, Christie, referencing a past conversation between President John Adams and first lady Abigail Adams, vowed to the audience: "I can't guarantee to you success in what I'm about to do, but I guarantee you that at the end of it, you will have no doubt in your mind who I am and what I stand for and whether I deserve it."
"So that's why I came back to Saint Anselm ... to tell all of you that I intend to seek the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 2024 and I want your support," he said.
In his remarks and answers to audience members' questions, Christie repeatedly called out Trump, labeling him "self-serving" and "self-consumed." Going after Trump was the way to win the nomination, Christie argued.
"Eight years ago, it was amusing. Eight years ago, you were entertained. I forgive you," he said of Trump's 2016 campaign. "It's not funny anymore. It's not amusing anymore. It's not entertaining anymore."
Christie, a former ABC News contributor, made clear that he was not only campaigning to call out the man he largely supported throughout his four years in the White House; he entered this race because he also wants to win, he said.
"The reason I'm going after Trump is twofold. One, he deserves it. And two, it's the way to win. So these two are not divided. ... Let me be very clear: I am going out there to take out Donald Trump, but here's why -- I want to win," Christie said.
He also called out other Republicans whom he said do not call out Trump by name, likening it to the suspicion about Voldemort -- "he who shall not be named" -- from the Harry Potter series.
While Christie initially jabbed at Trump more subtly -- calling him a "mirror hog" -- eventually he invoked the ex-commander in chief.
"Let me be clear, in case I have not been already: The person I am talking about, who is obsessed with the mirror, who never admits a mistake, who never admits a fault and who always find someone else and something else to blame for whatever goes wrong, but finds every reason to take credit for anything that goes right -- is Donald Trump," Christie said. "And if we don't have that conversation with you, we don't deserve to ask for your vote."
Later, asked by a 15-year-old attendee how he planned to "win over Trump voters" when he doesn't seem to be appealing to them, Christie rejected the premise -- after joking that he was glad the young man wasn't old enough to vote.
"There is no such thing as Trump voters. He doesn't own them. He didn't take title to them. They're not one of his buildings. They're not one of his failed casinos in New Jersey," Christie said. "I voted for him twice. OK, am I a Trump voter, then? Hell no, man."
"Elections in the United States of America are not about anything other than a choice," he continued, arguing that this election, voters will have new options to make a choice other than Trump.
While he spent much of the nearly three-hour event contrasting himself with Trump, Christie also made the case against President Joe Biden, arguing Biden was past his prime.
"I've known him for 40 years. He's a nice man. He is out of his depth. Because he's not the guy he used to be," Christie said. "Father time always wins -- he always wins. And he's not what he used to be. So we don't need someone timid, quiet, who's not speaking to us regularly in the White House."
Christie kicked off his campaign in a key early primary state that was also a focus for the former governor during his 2016 campaign, his first attempt at winning the White house. That bid ended days after the "first-in-the-nation" primary, where he placed sixth despite his extensive efforts in the state. Soon after he dropped out, he endorsed then-candidate Trump and continued to largely back Trump throughout his presidency.
That changed after riotersattacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, following a monthslong campaign by Trump and his allies to delegitimize the results of the 2020 election by alleging mass fraud. No evidence has arisen to support those false claims.
Christie joins an already large field that in addition to the former president includes former Ambassador to the U.N. and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is currently polling in second behind Trump.
Trump reacted to Christie's launch in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. Trump appeared to have been watching at least some of Christie's remarks live, based on when he posted.
"How many times did Chris Christie use the word SMALL? Does he have a psychological problem with SIZE? Actually, his speech was SMALL, and not very good. It rambled all over the place, and nobody had a clue of what he was talking about," Trump wrote, calling Christie "hard to watch," "boring" and a "failed" governor.
Mike Pence, a former Indiana governor who served Trump's loyal vice president until the events of Jan. 6, on Mondayfiled paperworkfor his presidential candidacy with the Federal Election Commission and is expected to formally announce his long-expected campaign Wednesday in Iowa.
Doug Burgum, the relatively nationally unknown governor of North Dakota, is also expected to launch his campaign Wednesday.
