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Former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows will be the former president's undoing, Chris Christie predicted.
Christie, the former governor of New Jersey who is challenging Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss the primary election Thursday morning, just hours after he and his rivals faced off at the third debate in Miami, Florida.
Christie faced questions about how he and other candidates may be able to chip away at Donald Trump's support, as polls show he remains the front-runner to win the nomination next year. Christie said the primary season is "a long race" in spite of Trump's present level of support, suggesting his legal troubles could begin to sink his popularity as voting contests begin next year.
Federal prosecutors charged Trump with four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, in connection to Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn the election results following his 2020 defeat, including attempts to submit false slates of pro-Trump electors in swing states he lost. Trump has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to all charges and accusing prosecutors of targeting him for political purposes.
The trial is slated to begin March 4, 2024, just one day before Super Tuesday, when voters from 16 states will head to the polls.
Christie said the timing of the trial could be a threat to Trump's chances of winning the party's nomination. He predicted Meadows will be the first witness prosecutors call to the stand, which could prove to be the former president's undoing.
"He's going to be saying in front of a jury that Donald Trump was lying beginning on Election night, that he knew he was lying, and that he broke laws right in front of him," Christie said. "Donald Trump is going to be convicted, and what that New York Times poll from earlier this week shows you is that when he is convicted of a crime his support collapses, especially in all of the swing states that he was doing well in."
Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign via email for comment.
The poll released by The New York Times and Siena College over the weekend found Trump leading President Joe Biden in nearly every swing state a year from the election. Trump held the advantage in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania, all states won by Biden in 2020, the poll found.
However, it also found that many voters would abandon Trump if he were to be convicted of a crime. In that scenario, Biden led Trump in the same battleground states, according to the poll.
"Republican voters are going to get smart about that," Christie said. "They're going to see it and they're not going to make him our nominee, but we're going to have to fight it all the way to the convention."
Meadows may be a key witness in the election interference trial. He testified to a federal grand jury—in exchange for a court order granting him limited immunity from prosecution—about his former boss' efforts to overturn the election. He allegedly said he told Trump he disagreed about the claims of widespread voter fraud.
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About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more