Chris Christie Wants the Post-Trump G.O.P. to Move Past Trump

Chris Christie wants to beryllium precise wide astir something: The predetermination of 2020 was not stolen.

“An predetermination for president was held connected November 3, 2020. Joe Biden won. Donald Trump did not,” Mr. Christie writes successful his caller book, “Republican Rescue: Saving the Party From Truth Deniers, Conspiracy Theorists, and the Dangerous Policies of Joe Biden.”

“That is the truth. Any assertion to the contrary is untrue,” Mr. Christie says.

It is not a fashionable presumption successful the Republican Party close now, arsenic Mr. Trump has promoted his baseless claims of wide predetermination fraud for much than a year, and arsenic galore Republicans person either echoed those claims oregon averted their gaze.

But it’s a presumption that Mr. Christie has been repeating since Election Day, arsenic helium urges the G.O.P. — and Mr. Trump — to determination connected from looking backward.

“It’s not a publication astir him,” Mr. Christie said successful a caller interrogation astir the book, which volition beryllium released connected Wednesday. “It’s a publication astir wherever we spell from present and wherefore it is important for america to fto spell of the past.”

Of Mr. Trump, Mr. Christie was blunt: “If helium wants to beryllium a affirmative unit successful the future, he’s got to fto this different worldly go. If helium doesn’t, I don’t deliberation helium tin be.”

Mr. Christie pointed to the Virginia governor’s contention and Glenn Youngkin, the Republican who won the authorities enactment normal without Mr. Trump’s endorsement and past kept him astatine bay during the wide election. Mr. Youngkin yet defeated his Democratic opponent, Terry McAuliffe.

Mr. Christie said the Youngkin triumph knocks down “this thought that if you don’t hold with Donald Trump connected everything, and pledge unfettered fealty to him, past you can’t triumph due to the fact that his voters punctuation unquote won’t travel retired to vote,” Mr. Christie said. “No campaigner owns voters. They don’t.”

He described Mr. Trump’s behaviour successful the twelvemonth since helium near bureau — and the anxiousness felt by lawmakers who interest astir crossing him — successful stark terms. “Donald Trump’s ain behaviour is meant to instill fear,” helium said.

Mr. Christie is simply a erstwhile politician of New Jersey, a erstwhile statesmanlike campaigner and a imaginable aboriginal one. He was 1 of Mr. Trump’s earliest supporters successful 2016 aft helium ended his ain nationalist candidacy, was a imaginable vice-presidential candidate, led Mr. Trump’s modulation effort until helium was fired from that relation and helped pb Mr. Trump’s opioids commission.

He was with Mr. Trump passim a tumultuous presidency, a information that Mr. Christie’s critics accidental makes his critiques excessively precocious to beryllium meaningful. Mr. Christie argues that his enactment for Mr. Trump, and their 15-year relationship earlier that, makes him a credible critic.

“I deliberation it was truly important for radical to recognize wherefore I did enactment the president for truthful long,” Mr. Christie said. “And the crushed was, due to the fact that I mostly agreed with the policies that helium was pursuing.” When they would reason implicit the years, helium added, “it was seldom implicit policy.”

The arguments were mostly implicit however things were handled, Mr. Christie added, citing Mr. Trump’s throwing of “bouquets” astatine President Xi Jinping of China arsenic an example. Being generous with Mr. Xi erstwhile the Chinese authorities was withholding accusation astir the coronavirus was “unacceptable,” Mr. Christie said.

Mr. Christie does not blasted Mr. Trump’s code connected Jan. 6 for the unit that followed astatine the Capitol by his supporters. He said alternatively that it was the months of Mr. Trump’s mendacious claims that the predetermination was stolen from him that instilled choler successful those who believed him.

The work for what happened “was months agelong successful coming,” helium said. “As a leader, you request to cognize that determination are consequences to the words you use. And that those consequences astatine times tin beryllium worldly that you whitethorn not adjacent beryllium capable to anticipate. I don’t judge helium anticipated that radical would origin unit up connected Capitol Hill. But I don’t deliberation helium thought astir it, either.”

Mr. Christie began road-testing his themes successful a code astatine the Reagan statesmanlike room successful September, during which helium didn’t sanction Mr. Trump. When helium spoke again astatine the Republican Jewish Coalition league successful Nevada past weekend, Mr. Trump took notice, and delivered a broadside that his aides intended arsenic a informing shot.

Mr. Christie “was conscionable perfectly massacred by his statements that Republicans person to determination connected from the past, meaning the 2020 Election Fraud,” Mr. Trump said successful a connection that besides attacked Mr. Christie for a debased support rating, which Mr. Trump mischaracterized by half.

Mr. Christie said that Mr. Trump should absorption little connected “personal vendetta,” and added, “I conscionable deliberation if helium wants to person that benignant of speech astir maine past I’m going to constituent retired that I got 60 percent of the ballot successful a bluish authorities with 51 percent of the Hispanic vote.”

Mr. Christie said helium would not marque a determination astir moving for president successful 2024 until aft the midterm elections successful 2022. He said that Mr. Trump would not origin into his reasoning and that helium would not regularisation retired supporting the erstwhile president if helium saw nary way for himself.

Understand the Claim of Executive Privilege successful the Jan. 6. Inquiry

Throughout the book, Mr. Christie places Mr. Trump successful the humanities discourse of a governmental strain successful the state that is centuries old. The QAnon conspiracy theorists of the past respective years are successful galore ways the descendants of John Birch Society members, Mr. Christie writes, and helium contrasts however Ronald Reagan handled extremist voices successful his enactment with however Mr. Trump has.

He faults Mr. Trump for spreading “the birther campaign” astir erstwhile President Barack Obama’s birthplace successful 2011.

“He genuinely showed everyone however a prevarication similar that tin beryllium exploited,” Mr. Christie said, taking enactment of different Republicans who encouraged questions astir wherever the archetypal Black president was born.

And Mr. Christie writes that helium knows Mr. Trump was furious aft helium was laughed astatine during the White House Correspondents Dinner successful 2011, erstwhile Mr. Obama roasted him implicit his birther crusade. Mr. Trump aboriginal boasted that helium was unbothered, but Mr. Christie said helium spoke with Mr. Trump astir it. “Just beside himself with fury,” Mr. Christie writes.

Mr. Christie besides describes immoderate of the statement prep sessions that helium led for Mr. Trump earlier helium took the signifier with President Joseph R. Biden Jr. past year. In 1 session, Mr. Trump turned to Mr. Christie and began to excoriate him for recommending Christopher Wray for F.B.I. director.

“He’s doing an atrocious job, and he’s your pick. He was your pick,” Mr. Trump told Mr. Christie successful beforehand of a half-dozen different Trump aides.

“Hold connected a second,” Mr. Christie replied, praising Mr. Wray. “He wasn’t my pick. He was your pick. He was my recommendation. I’m not the president. I don’t get to pick.”

Mr. Christie reveals however disquieted helium and others were for his endurance erstwhile helium became infected with the coronavirus aft being astatine the White House astir the aforesaid clip that Mr. Trump and respective different aides contracted Covid-19. Mr. Christie writes that his clergyman arrived successful the infirmary and rubbed oils connected his forehead successful the motion of the cross, praying implicit him.

He got a telephone from a hospitalized Mr. Trump, who had 1 main concern: “Are you gonna accidental you got it from me?” Mr. Trump asked him.

Mr. Christie is unsparing successful the publication astir Mr. Biden, whose policies helium says helium cannot align himself with. In the interview, helium faulted the president for moving arsenic 1 benignant of person but governing arsenic another, citing the aftermath of the withdrawal from Afghanistan arsenic an example.

“If they had known however helium was going to govern,” Mr. Christie said of voters, Mr. Biden whitethorn not person won.