Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie fired back at insults from former President Donald Trump, branding him a “coward” who hides behind a “failed social media site.” The exchange comes as recent polling and the Real Clear Politics survey average show Christie surpassing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the New Hampshire primary, prompting more insults from Trump via his platform, Truth Social.

Christie made his response during an appearance on CNN with host Wolf Blitzer on Thursday. He speculated that Trump’s late-night rants might be a result of “bad Chinese food” and challenged the former president to face him on a debate stage.

Christie remarked, “He doesn’t like when people stand up to him and call him out on the nonsense that he’s involved in. And I guess he had a bad night last night, maybe at some bad Chinese food or something, Wolf. Well, 11:30 at night, a little indigestion, decided to attack me.”

Christie didn’t hold back, encouraging Trump to continue his verbal onslaught. “Keep it coming, Donald,” he added. “And by the way, if he had any guts, he’d get on the debate stage. And he’s got things to say about me. Stop hiding behind your social media site, your failed social media site, Donald, and start taking me on directly. Show up. Stop being a coward.”

While Christie has seen a surge in recent polling, Trump’s lead in the GOP primary has reached an all-time high, with an average national support of 58.8% among Republicans, according to RCP. Christie stands out as one of the few GOP primary candidates who has directly challenged Trump regarding his legal troubles and vowed not to pardon him if elected to the White House.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)