Chris Christie Dares Trump to Say 'Fat Pig' Jab to His Face

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie is challenging former President Donald Trump to call him a "fat pig" in person.

Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, lashed out at his former ally in a post to X, formerly Twitter. Christie issued the challenge while sharing a video of Trump insulting his weight before seemingly feigning disapproval of the "fat pig" label during a campaign event in New Hampshire on Tuesday.

"No, Christie, he's eating right now, he can't be bothered," Trump says in the video, prompting laughs and applause from his supporters.

The former president then admonishes a person in the crowd who may have initially labeled Christie with the plump porcine put-down.

"Sir, please do not call him a fat pig," Trump says. "That's very disrespectful. Don't call him. See, I'm, I'm trying to be nice. Don't call him a fat pig. You can't do it ... because you're not allowed to do that, and therefore we're not gonna do it, OK?"

"We want to be very civil, right?" the former president adds, just before cracking a smirk and briefly chuckling.

Christie responded to the remarks by telling the former president on X, "If you had the guts you would show up to the debate and say it to my face."

In response to Newsweek's request for comment on Christie's challenge, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said: "Hahaha! Chris Christie needs to think before he speaks."

Trump himself later referred to the moment in New Hampshire while ignoring Christie's debate challenge in a Truth Social post, claiming that he had been "very respectful towards" the former governor and that Christie should have been "very happy" with the "defense" of his weight.

"I was extremely respectful of Sloppy Chris Christie today in New Hampshire," Trump wrote. "During a speech in front of a large crowd of Patriots, somebody shouted out that 'Chris Christie is a fat pig.' Rather than acknowledging that, which many speakers would have done, I said, 'No, No, he is not a fat pig.' I'm sure Chris would have been very happy with my defense of him!"

Trump and Christie are two of eight Republican presidential candidates who have so far qualified to participate in the first GOP primary debate, which will be hosted by Fox News and is set for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 23.

However, Trump's participation in the debate remains in doubt. The former president, who is the Republican front-runner by a wide margin, has indicated on multiple occasions that he may skip the event, potentially even holding a rival event at the same time.

Christie is far from the only Republican to criticize Trump over his reluctance to participate in the debate.

GOP New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu laughed and referred to Trump as a "wimp" while discussing his potential absence from the debate stage during a Fox News interview last month.

Christie was one of Trump's closest allies during his presidency, even helping him prepare to participate in the 2020 presidential debates with then-future President Joe Biden.

However, the ex-governor has become one of Trump's staunchest critics following the former president's attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss and the subsequent January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Christie has also directed insults toward the former president, with the attacks having ramped up since he entered the 2024 race. Recently, the former governor referred to Trump as a "control freak" who is "scared" of jail and "the cheapest person I've ever met."

Trump, who is himself obese, according to a 2020 White House physical, has repeatedly insulted Christie over his weight. In June, Trump asked whether the former governor had a "psychological problem with size" following his presidential campaign announcement.