Chris Christie Caught on Hot Mic Saying Nikki Haley Will ‘Get Smoked’ by Trump: ‘She’s Not Up for This’

Moments before taking the stage to end his presidential campaign, the former New Jersey governor’s honest thoughts about Haley and DeSantis were picked up by a live microphone

Chris Christie has made it clear what he thinks of Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign.

The former New Jersey governor, 61, was caught on a hot mic voicing his thoughts on how the Republican primary will play out moments before dropping out of the race at a New Hampshire town hall on Wednesday.

“She spent $68 million so far,” Christie said of Haley before taking the stage, according to the Washington Post. “And we spent 12. I mean, who’s punching above their weight and who’s getting a return on their investment?”

“She’s going to get smoked, you and I both know,” he added, per the outlet. “She’s not up to this.” Even as Haley's popularity grows, former President Donald Trump continues to dominate the GOP polls.

Christie was also heard saying that presidential candidate Ron DeSantis recently called him "petrified," but the audio cut out before he elaborated.

Related: Nikki Haley Set to Get Another High-Profile Endorsement in a Republican Primary That’s Still Trump’s to Lose

Christie, who entered the presidential race in June, told supporters on Wednesday that he was “suspending” his campaign as it was "clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination” for president of the United States.

He did not endorse another candidate during the announcement, but he told supporters he was "going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again. And that’s more important than my own personal ambition."

Related: Chris Christie Suspends 2024 Presidential Campaign Days Before Iowa Caucus

Christie was a close ally of Trump prior to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, and in the 2024 race, became one of his strongest critics. In a December debate, he previously called Trump “an angry, bitter man” who wanted to return as president to “exact retribution on anyone who has disagreed with him.”

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"He failed us as president based on what he himself told us in 2015, in 2016, what he would do when he became president," said Christie, who supported Trump during the last two presidential elections, at a town hall event. "He failed us as a president on the promises he made to us."

Christie previously launched a bid for the White House in 2016 that was cut short by his poor performance in the earliest primary elections.

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