Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was booed to such a degree during the first Republican debate of the 2024 election season that moderator Bret Baier had to intervene.
Baier asked the eight candidates onstage Wednesday night in Milwaukee whether they would support former President Donald Trump if he is convicted in one of his indictments.
Christie was one of two candidates who didn’t raise their hands. (The other was former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.)
During the GOP debate, the moderators asked the candidates to raise their hands if they would support Trump if he wins the GOP presidential nomination. Six of the eight candidates raised their hands. Follow for more live updates. https://t.co/ee4tNpJdkj
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 24, 2023
“Here’s the bottom line: Someone’s got to stop normalizing this conduct,” the former governor explained.
“Whether or not you believe that the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of president of the United States,” he said.
After he was jeered, Christie responded, “This is the great thing about this country: Booing is allowed, but it doesn’t change the truth.”
We need to stop normalizing Donald Trump’s conduct. It’s beneath the office of the Presidency.
Boo all you want, I’m not going to stop telling the truth. pic.twitter.com/VGinbGuiqT
— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) August 24, 2023
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy then accused Christie of running a hypocritical campaign of “vengeance” against Trump.
.@VivekGRamaswamy DESTROYS Chris Christie after he refuses to support Trump if he’s convicted.
Vivek to Chris Christie: “Your claim that Donald Trump is motivated by vengeance and grievance would be a lot more credible if your entire campaign were not based on vengeance and… pic.twitter.com/4Bw8NARTVo
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 24, 2023
Following some brief sparring between the two, Christie was drowned out by boos.
Bret Baier has to stop the debate to tell the audience to stop booing Chris Christie. pic.twitter.com/uEwX5fuMU5
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 24, 2023
Baier then turned around and asked the crowd to stop.
“Listen, the more time we spend doing this, the less time they can talk about issues you want to talk about,” the Fox News host said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.