chris christie is a gun guy, chris christie's antiabortion. he didn't lean into either of those issues at all. if you were a pro gun or pro life voter he didn't give you a reason. he certainly didn't say anything that would make you think he wasn't on your side. but he wasn't very aggressive. >> it is an interesting point that on those, let's call them culture war issues. he didn't really lean in that much. but i did think it was notable that he was covering it trump from the right. he said trump didn't bring down the deficit. he said trump didn't bring in immigration bill to the floor. i think he understands that you do have to go through trump but you can't do it from the left. you can't even really do it from the center, you have to be somewhere to his right. and i did see him trying to make those arguments to republican voters that this guy is just not the conservative that you think he is. whether that will work as an argument i think it has not worked historically in a republican primary because i think there's a lot of personality at st

there is christie.en remotely close when it comes to 21% favor only, 47% unfavorable. so the market for a christy candidacy among republicans is questionable whether that really exists and whether he can really change it. that is a heck of a challenge for him. but what shaq was just saying about that christie style on the debate stage, that is a variable that i think is interesting. because he mentions in 2016 when christie got on the debate stage with marco rubio, put yourself back in that moment if you can remember it. donald trump had just lost iowa. the viability of his candidacy was in question. he needed a bounceback win in new hampshire. marco rubio was surging in the polls. christie was going flat nowhere at that point. but christie used that moment on that debate stage to absolutely dismantle marco rubio. and it resulted in trump winning new hampshire and arguably putting him on the path to win the nomination. so christie never tried that game against donald trump. we saw a lot of other republi

that's chris christie.ut he's a fighter in the mold that the gop does like. >> thank you guys very much. coming up, how the freedom caucus is trying to get back at mccarthy without ousting him from his job. >>> plus, what george santos tried to do to protect the people who paid his half a million dollar bond. s half a milln iodollar bond. hey bud. wow. what's all this? hawaii was too expensive so i brought it here. you know with priceline you could actually take that trip for less than all this. i made a horrible mistake. ♪ go to your happy price ♪ ♪ priceline ♪ (bobby) my store and my design business? we're exploding. ♪ go to your happy price ♪ but my old internet, was not letting me run the show. so, we switched to verizon business internet. they have business grade internet, nationwide. (vo) make the switch. it's your business. it's your verizon. from prom dresses to workouts and new adventures you hope the more you give the less they'll miss. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in th

yesterday and the former president did pick out the fact that chris christie he says, watch chris christie will go after the spiralling governor desantis. i think he will go after president trump >> ainsley: he said he's willing to take on the front-runner, desantis is willing, too. chris christie is someone to watch, someone we enjoy hearing. his sound bites can be colorful. he's not afraid. remember in 2016, he was yelling at someone who stood up and he yelled back at them. he is always interesting, can he beat donald trump? he wasn't able to in 2016, not sure he will get traction. >> steve: it is 517 days until the election. >> ainsley: the countdown is on. >> steve: absolutely. it is interesting, going back to former vice president mike pence, what they're trying to do and if the former vice president is watching, happy birthday, 64 today. his team -- >> ainsley: you said he is too old to run, didn't you? >> brian: way too old. >> steve: mike pence, his team will try to reintroduce him, note as donald trump vice president and not the guy that stood between the people on january 6 and t

and there's this amazing quote from christie. i'm not going to dwell on this, mark, christie said. guys drive me crazy. all you want to talk about is trump. i'm sorry, i'm not going to waste my hour with you this morning which is a joy and a gift on just continuing to talking and asking trump questions from 18 different angles. >> he then went up and talked about trump in 18 different ways, what's so bizarre about that interview. he's extremely adept at potentially taking some real shots at donald trump. he knows donald trump batter than most. he's much more nimble at least oratorally in a format like this. i don't think it's likely chris christie is ever going to have his own hail to the chief played for him and mike pence, too, but i do think that both of them but especially christie could be a very -- you know, not just entertaining but actually a very, very kind of lutitious and very, very compelling foil to donald trump if this goes forward the way i think it's going to go. >> yeah, steve, you alluded, you foreshadowed that christie may not actually make it to the stage with d

and christie wasn't on there. we saw christie's campaign go down in flames. then, he jumped onboard the trump train. >> you have to look at this time in 2007. rudy giuliani was in the lead in all of the polls. >> unless we see a cascade with nikki haley and desantis and sense doing something. it's exciting to a lot of democrats. but it's not effective in changing votes, is it sucking up attention in resources that could be better used? >> why don't they jump on? >> what they're suing is they're putting their foot in the water. >> very tepidly. >> it's much more three, six, nine months ago, when anybody was petrified of saying anything about the guy. now, you have four or five candidates saying, christie is on to something here. they are hearing from folks on the ground, these charges as they continue to pile on, we need an alternative. i can think of two candidates that haven't been boring, is trump and obama. trump is bringing liveliness to it. but christy is making it more entertaining because it's continuing. >> the problem with the other republican candid

>> reporter: former new jersey governor chris christie built a fighter willing to tell it like it is,n launching his second presidential campaign, he's taking that fight to former president donald trump and testing whether there are enough republican voters willing to listen. >> you have to be fearless because he will come back and right at you. >> thank you. >> reporter: it's a far cry from 2016, when he dropped his first presidential bid after dismal showings in iowa and new hampshire, becoming a key ally and adviser to trump. >> i am proud to be here to endorse donald trump for president of the united states. >> reporter: christie prepped him for debates and, for a time, led his transition team. but the chaotic presidency that followed and then false claims of election fraud turned christie into a fervent never-trumper. white house, behind the seal of the president, and told us the election was stolen. >> reporter: christie is now betting new hampshire's independent voters are also willing to get off that train. >> i kind of like the guy, but i hope that he can get in there. but th

christie: hey, new jersey, we did it.rs and applause] laura: during his first term, he was credited for his leadership and handling of recovery efforts after hurricane sandy. fmr. gov. christie: that's the only message i'm here to deliver is of support and let them know i'm on the job and we're going to continue to work real hard. laura: he went on to be reelected in 2013. but his second term was marred with controversies, namely, the infamous highway traffic scandal known as bridgegate. one of christie's aides and multiple political appointees colluded to create traffic jams in fort lee, new jersey, by closing lanes to the george washington bridge, one of the busiest commuter bridges in the world. fmr. gov. christie: i have 65,000 people working for me every day. and i cannot know what each one of them is doing at every minute. but that doesn't matter. i'm ultimately responsible for what they do. laura: the scandal became the subject of a federal investigation and ended in the indictments of christie's deputy chief of st

quote from christie.ad the piece. i will not drill on this, mark, you drive me crazy. all you want to do is talk about trump, i'm sorry, i do not think that he's the only topic to talk about in politics and i'm not going to waste my hour with you this morning on just continuing talking and asking and answering the donald trump question from 18 different angles. this chris christie not realize this is the whole point as a presidential candidate? >> that is absurd, because he then went up to new hampshire and talked about donald trump 1 million different ways. that is what was so bizarre about that interview. but i do think that there is one reason that chris christie is in this race, and that is because he is extremely adept at potentially taking some real shots are donald trump, he knows donald trump better than most, and he's obviously known him for a long time. he's obviously much more nimble, at least oratory ali in a format like this, and that makes chris christie much more compelling, at least to me

he drove between enterprise, christy's home, and the murder scene.nd-trip, it added up to 40 miles. >> i know the route. i know she did it. then, he checked that gassed asians acuity video again. this time, looking for a black vw. he watched the video more than 50 times. finally, located what looked like the vw passing by less than an hour before the murder and speeding through just minutes after. what's more, there was a phone number on the rental front that was new to investigators. turns out, marnie had bought a disposable phone with cash a week before the murder. she made only a few calls on it, but that was enough. >> there was at least one call that placed her in the vicinity of deerfield on the day of the murder. >> more strong circumstantial evidence. still, not enough, the prosecution said. >> it was aggravating. they kept pushing, one more thing, for more than. >> it was maddening for police. they were their prime suspect would never be brought to justice. but they had a plan. an undercover sting. they thought they could convince someone in

what do you think about what christie is doing and will it be effective? >> i think authenticity is what voters respond to. and the unplugged moment is him able to tell the truth. and the problem with so many republicans right now is they try to tiptoe around donald trump, for fear of fending him or the base. when you're liberated to the truth, i think that has a compelling charisma. that's one of the reasons that christie should not be written off as a candidate who is going to soften him up. the town hall the other day on cnn showed, reminded people, he has uncommon political talents. >> do you see that as a republican, joe? >> this is a man that ever major donor in the country begged to run for president in 2012. if he had, he would have won. the unforced reality for chris christie is it is difficult to impugn the integrity of president trump, without alienating the voters that still support him. so, it has the unintended consequence of putting you behind the 8 ball at a time when you're trying to go on the offensive, namely to win a primary. so so, tha

maybe christie won't be. this is what the opponents failed do in 2016 and christie is intent on making sure they don't make that same mistake. >> and you'll be back with me in a moment. still ahead, the rush to evacuate after a critical dam was destroyed in ukraine. thousands put in danger by rushing waters. and now all eyes are on a nuclear power plant nearby. >>> and later new charges against the mother of a 6-year-old who shot his first graduate teacher. could it set a precedent when it comes to cases where a child has a gun. has a gun. (woman) with verizon's new myplan, i get exactly what i want. and only pay for what i need. (man) now i'm in charge... ...of my plan. (vo) introducing myplan from verizon. get exactly what you want and only pay for what you need. starting at just $25 when you bring your own phones. it's your verizon. subway just keeps getting better. break it down candace. they got world class bakers to develop their tastiest bread yet. this truly makes the subway series a dream team. you k

but christie has a lot of room to make up here. if you look at polling, he's polling at 1% nationally, plenty of time. you look at his favorability rating, you have about 27% of republican voters saying that they view him in a favorable way. so, it is clear that he wants to go after trump, it is clear that he with will have those contrasts and he'll draw those contrasts but he needs to pull some people into his camp and build the constituency. and it is not super clear how he'll do that and we'll watch to get hints of that tonight. >> it was interesting, jennifer, "the wall street journal" did their editorial board wrote that christie could be doing a public service by running and they cited his history of public smackdowns of political opponents. i wonder if his smackdowns of trump are exactly the reason he's polling at 1% and his favorability is 27%. do you think it will be received any differently this time by folks in new hampshire, which you know well, than it was back in '16. >> the problem is that donald trump has more suppo

chris christie it's not particularly good at admitting to mistakes.te, as a new jersey kid, i have to say, i don't think he has fully come clean on closing the -- access to the george washington bridge and creating chaffetz jams to get back at the mayor. so, he is someone that has clearly wanted to be president at least since, like, 2012, very soon after becoming governor of new jersey. most of what he said about trump applies to him! >> is he flip-flopping? or has he evolved? has his position evolved on trump? i >> don't know exactly what's going on inside his head. but he made clear this to our town hall event that he did in new hampshire that he intends to do a really frontal attack on donald trump in this campaign. and i think this sees -- chris christie is not going to win this nomination. and i think chris christie it's smart enough to know that he's not going to win this nomination. i think there is a legacy play here, which is, that what chris christie is remembered for is bridge gate and for enabling donald trump. because he did not just endo

i think chris christie knows what he is talking about. is he highly intelligent and highly accomplished. sean hannity said if he is so intelligent why did he leave office with 1% approval rating and he gotten caught in some controversies, lounging on the beach when he closed that public beach. error, there was bridge gate. we will see. i don't know is he strong. always interesting. you turn up your tv or definitely want to hear what he has to say. >> steve: good talk last night. >> ainsley: can he pull through? can he beat donald trump in the numbers don't show that. >> brian: trump has been pretty steady. he has this great team around him so far out of the three teams this is the one most comfortable with. picking spots. they knew hot number one guy was. they put $30 million on hurting governor desantis before he got in the race. i think it was effective. we will sigh if desantis can start closing that gap announced see if trump now says to himself i'm up by 30 here and up by 40 in new hampshire. south carolina even with two other south

is that happening to one chris christie? when we come back, do you think he will be debated if he enters this race as expected to next week for what he did eight years in the bluest of states as a republican governor or for what he did and didn't do in the friendship that he have or didn't have with donald trump or is it over something silly and stupid like his weight? fat chance he will be treated fairly. we'll explore. that's my boy. ♪ stay off the freeways! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ lowe's knows you never come in for just one thing. so we've got to know a lot of things about a lot of things. like which mower makes the cut. the mulch that finishes the look. and picking a color that pops. you got this. we got you. subway just keeps getting better. break it down candace. they got world class bakers to develop their tastiest bread yet. this truly makes the subway series a dream team. you know about that chuck. yeah, i was the bread of that team too. try the subway series menu. their t

but in the chris christie style is just chris christie. >> he is such a spoiled baby.tter, angry man. a lonely, self-consumed, self-serving, mirror hog. >> okay. and that one actually seemed like he was thinking it up as he was going. it wasn't even a recited line. the only republican talking like this. >> because he understands donald trump -- he understands donald trump is leading by double digits ahead of the next person after him. and chris christie had a powerful line, which is, the only path to the nomination is through donald trump. he's on a kamikaze mission against donald trump to lay out what most republicans have been unable or unwilling to do, which is talk about his unfitness for office, the danger he poses to democracy. and the second is this, because a lot of folks will talk about the fact that chris christie does have record high unfavorability with republican voters. he hasn't been running for president since 2016. that is a universe ago in today's politics. tonight is also an opportunity for him to reintroduce himself to the public. we know this gop,

plus chris christie makes it official. we'll show you his pitch for the 2024 republican presidential nomination. >>> good morning, and welcome to "way too early" on this wednesday, june 7th. i'm jonathan lemire. thanks for starting your day with us. we're learning more revealing new details this morning about two separate grand juries looking into former president donald trump's handling of classified documents after he left the white house. first, nbc news has learned roughly two dozen secret service agents have been subpoenaed or appeared before the federal grand jury in washington, d.c. that's according to two sources familiar with the matter. they say the testimony took place in the past few months, meaning not recently as the grand jury has been on hiatus. at the same time "the new york times" is reporting a previously unknown federal grand jury in miami, florida, started hearing testimony in the classified documents case last month. and only a handful of witnesses have testified or scheduled to appear there. that inc

that's chris christie's problem in this. the second problem is, if he thought he had a problem -- in 2016, i think this is why chris knows better. if there is a problem in 2016, donald trump is more popular today among republicans by 15 points, more popular today, then he was when he won in 2016. that's the problem. >> he's more popular today than he was in 2016, but today, wouldn't you say he has a ceiling in terms of popularity? based on the last election, whereas in 2016, there is no idea where he could go. >> well, that was the bet every cater that was running against him in 2016 was making. oh yeah, donald trump, he has a ceiling, he can't get past this. the problem was? it never got to one-on-one, fast enough. in order for those people to beat him. that's the problem when you already have nine or ten candidates already in. it needs to be one-on-one, it's not gonna get there. that's why i think, right now, winning the republican nomination is still donald trump's to lose. >> i want to mention, the other part of it to, w

it seems chris christie understands that.n first is to damages donald trump and make him unacceptable to the republican primary electorate, then perhaps the overall dynamics of the race would shift if that were to happen. it's very hard to see in this republican primary electorate what chris christie is able to sell that matches up with them, especially if the main focus of what he's selling is anti-trump. >> it's interesting, karen finney, that democrats are certainly watching what christie has to say as far as how much damage he can do to trump. >> look, the other thing we'll be watching, right, is the tone with which chris christie actually does this, because the more he hits and directly punches on the nose the more likely we'll see voters, i think, harden their support for him. what are the hits that will work will probably be how did he peel off some voters who are willing to be peeled off. i suspect it's more likely him talking about his own journey having once been a trump supporter and created a permission structure

it seems for a while that christy had become a firm never trumper.ing trump stepped back into the d.c. spotlight and emerged as none other than sheep organizer of donald trump's presidential debate team working with then president to take down joe biden in front of a national audience. and then after trump lost, guess what happens, you know this is going, christie flipped again. not only calling trump a danger to american democracy, but also finding new ways to profit from his newfound trump criticism. despite not being a relevant member of the gop for years and despite his on again off again relationship with trump, christy wrote a book declaring that the post-2020 republican party had to move on from trump if it was ever going to succeed again. look, i've got to be honest with, you my head is just spinning and i'm dizzy it's hard to keep track of the allegiances of chris christie, unless you follow the money when it is lucrative for christie, guess what he does, he hugs trump and he embraces him when it's lucrative for christie he bashers trump and

so chris christie is in an interesting position. because if he shows himself the way he did in that montage, he actually seems very much like donald trump. but again the republican party they love donald trump and the more you attack him the more his base is ready to vote for him again. >> chris christie not only endorsed trump in 2016, a few weeks i think after trump won the new hampshire primary, and then led trump's transition team until jared kushner fired him or whatever. but fast forward to now he's very critical of donald trump. listen to what he said at a new hampshire town hall earlier this year. >> one of the reasons i think he candid can't come back is he failed us. he failed us as president, based upon what he himself told us in 2015 and 2016 he would do if he became president. everybody can be fooled once by a shuckster, by a tv star. but if we allow ourselves to be fooled twice, we have no one to blame but ourselves. >> what's the george bush, shame on you? >> fool me once shame on you, fool me twice won't get fooled a

chris christie is joining chris christie isjoining an ever—growing field of potential republican nomineescandidates and especially the man in number two position, ron desantis, the florida governor, still trailing behind donald trump who was leading the pack but unlike the others, chris christie is making it very clear he is in this to stop donald trump. he a winner — just in it to win it on its own account but also in it as he would say to expose the failings, as he would probably say, to expose the lies of donald trump because this is a man he knows very well. chris christie first stood potentially for the presidency in 2016, the year that donald trump eventually went on to be the winner and chris christie did not do very well and dropped out very quickly and joined donald trump. was pretty much with them all the way through his time in the white house but after the january the sixth attack on congress that is when they parted company with chris christie accusing donald trump of inciting the violence. really, eversince then, as a political pundit on television, chris christie has been c

he is at christie's rally in manchester, new hampshire.tonight? >> that's right, erin. and i will say i'm talking softly because he's right behind me as he continues this. but he admitted all of the news around trump world. christie talked about there being leaders right now who try to tell you that character doesn't matter. and he, of course, was not shy in mentioning donald trump's name over the course of this. he even went so far as to say for harry potter fans that donald trump has been treated like voldemort over the course of this campaign season, someone who must not be named and that he is not going to play those games. he also focused on one key metaphor, saying that we have a choice as a country, to be big or be small, to get bigger or get smaller. he went through time after time in history going back to the revolutionary war about moments in time where he felt the country had chose not to be small. he feels we're at a similar moment right now. take a listen to some more of what christie said about donald trump, who's seen as the

let's listen in governor chris christie. would have to play springsteen, right? you knew. guy from new jersey comes up here to new hampshire we have got to remind you about what you're going to get tonight. you're going to get some straight talk from new jersey. i'm glad to be back here. and i have to tell you, it was not a layup that i would be here. far from it. if you had asked me a year ago whether i would be up here to talk to all of you about the future of our country, and where we would go, i probably would have said to you, you know, life is pretty good in new jersey and i think i will stay down here and let you all fight it out up here like you always do. every four years. and get a new crop of folks. come up here and talk to you. but i have to tell you, as i have watched the last year evolve, there has been just one question that kept going back and back and back into my mind. and it was about our country and its future. >> and i wondered what our choice was going to be. were we going to be small, or were we going

we will see, but after the town hall, christie's folks told me that the christie you saw last night isto see as his campaign moves forward. >> it's going to be a fascinating one to cover for you that's for sure. >> i hope so. >> we're glad to have you on the trail with him. >> of course. >>> our coverage of trump's indictment continues. what we're learning about security measures around the courthouse and trump's search for a lawyer to defend him, all coming up next. all with an n incredible new iphone. act now and get iphone 14 pro on us when youou switch. it's your verizon. from prom dresses to workouts and new adventures you hope the more you give the less they'll miss. but even if your tn was vaccinated against meningitis in the past they may be missing vaccinatn for meningitis b. although uncommon, up to 1 in 5 survivors of meningis will have long term consequences. now as you're thinking about all the vaccines your teen might need make sure you ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ get 2.9% apr for 36 months plus $1,500 purchase allowance on

especially for chris christie.name voters said they would not vote for. joining us, the new jersey editor for politico, and charlie style, for the record of bergen county. thank you so much. your christie expertise is appreciated on this saturday evening. maybe he is still friends, who knows, christie told axios he would never support trump again. maybe you heard my interview with asa hutchinson. the republican party said they will require these candidates to support the eventual nominee. how does this work? how does christie square this circle? winning points with never trumpers and independents, but at the same time getting enough to win the nomination. >> that will be his biggest challenge, i think. he has had this long-established relationship. he was out front really early in 2016, endorsing president trump, or then candidate trump. and he was one of the most vocal defenders and advisers until the 2020 election and then everything changed from there. in the course of that, he's managed to upset, as you mention

look at the christie number here, just 27%. could christie still a have an impact on this race? think the answer to that question is yes, one of the wild cards to keep an eye on if he makes that debate stage. remember this moment, the saturday night before the new hampshire primary in 2016, a critical moment for donald trump, he had just lost the iowa caucuses, marco rubio from florida was gaining in the polls in new hampshire, chris christie was going nowhere in the poll he turned his fire on marco rubio in that debate, it was a devastating attack that christie carried out on rubio in that debate. that certainly help elevate trump in new hampshire. he's the wild card. we haven't seen that. if christie could get on the debate stage it could be an interesting dynamic to watch. >>> let's expand our conversation now, i want to bring in a couple of political insiders, christine todd whitman, co-chair of the forward party. and former white house press secretary robert gibbs. thank you both for being here. governor, you know former governor chris christie, you're familiar with his vot

. >> reporter: good morning frances, on tuesday, chis chr chris ch christie filed his paperwork christie, the former two-term governor pledged his full support for then-candidate donald trump after dropping out of the 2016 republican primary and remained a close ally for most of trump's presidency that changed after trump's refusal to concede in the 2020 election and the events of january 6. since then, christie has become a vocal critic of the former president and pledged to never support him again, even if he were to become the party's nominee. at his launch event at the new hampshire institute of politics, christie did not pull any punches when it came to talking about trump. >> let me be very clear. i am going out there to take out donald trump, but here's why i want to win! and i don't want him to win. it is the last throes of a bitter, angry man who wants power back for himself not for you. >> reporter: and christie is the latest to join a growing field of candidates. former vice president mike pence is expected to officially announce his candidacy later today after filing paperwor

chris christie is right. want to take it out on kevin mccarthy because kevin understood republicans have to pay for the debt that republicans ran up over the path several years. and so tell us exactly what happened on the house floor and how they thought banging the republicans' head against the wall would? how help them. >> 11 far right republican, mostly members of the freedom caucus, who angry at the deal kevin mccarthy made with president biden to raise the debt ceiling, well, they took it out on him on the house floor siding with all democrats to block a pair of gop bills to protect gas stoves. the legislation itself was going to symbolic, but there is a sense that mccarthy can eventually work around this, but it should be noted that this is the first rule vote to fail since november 2002. so it does speak to republicans, at least a faction of them, being angry at mccarthy and of course the backdrop to all of it, it doesn't take much for mccarthy's grip on the speakership to be threatened. so they are at

i think that christie, you know, he's a former prosecutor. he's been very vocal and we also have mike pence getting into the race who has his own involvement in january 6th and the 2020 election, and so, those two, you know, they both are well-known by voters and they both could have a lot to say if they want to. neil: yeah, well, they will be saying it. maggie, great talking to you. thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. neil: in the meantime, we're focusing on donald trump. one of the things he said of maybe a key debate in this entire race, the promise to end birth right citizenship for illegal citizens. and that added another wrinkle to this debate? >> i know this is not in c consnance with constitutional law, 125 years ago that the 14th amendment was clear anyone born in u.s. territory had a constitutional right to birth right citizenship, but neil, my own parents who were here on a green card, when i was born in california, would i have lost birth right citizenship? >> that's a good point. then what? >> yeah, that's exact

but does christie have any chance of winning the nomination? a mega merger rocking the sports world as the pga tour joins forces with the saudi arabia funded liv golf league. despite the saudis troubled human rights record, how the pga is defending the deal amid claims of hip chrissie. and later, could this be the airline seat of the future? the double decker seat gets an upgrade and. from abc news in new york, this is america this morning. good wednesday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. i'm andrea fujii in for rhiannon. we begin with a mass shooting causing chaos at a high school graduation in virginia. police overnight described the deadly violence as a targeted attack, with witnesses reporting dozens of gunshots in rapid succession this morning. a virginia community in shock after a mass shooting brought chaos to a high school graduation. seven people were shot outside a richmond theater where graduates and their families were leaving the ceremony. probably at least like 30 shots total. i saw the ambulance pull away several people off

christie has answered this. you don't go wake up at the hilton inn for 50 days in a row if you don't actually want want to be president. he's not a hired political assassin. he's made clear he sees his role here as the guy that he thinks is best equipped whether on the debate stage to take trump down a notch. >> he will get attention in new hampshire. he understands iowa is a very different landscape. it's not chris christie territory. you stay in the northeast, stay in a place where independent can vote. the question is does he have to do it there or does he get on a debate stage with donald trump? the first is in late august. trump said we'll see if he changes his mind. that's number one. if there's a second and third debate, can christie meet the criteria. you have to be 1% in three approved polls. 40 donors. you must sign a loyalty pledge. you could change your mind, but if it's someone that can't support donald trump, do you get on a debate stage? >> the 1% is going to be harder than his signature on this o

christie does and he'll be the bull christie does and he'll be the butt in — christie does and he'llortunities to win, but he'll create — opportunities to win, but he'll create this opportunity for a narrative _ create this opportunity for a narrative there about where we're — narrative there about where we're going, that desantis candidate could resume an opportunity there that, aisa hutchinson, the governor of arkansas _ hutchinson, the governor of arkansas with presume an opportunity. there will be an opportunity. there will be an opportunity here to talk about that — opportunity here to talk about that. particularly in iowa when iowa, — that. particularly in iowa when iowa, you _ that. particularly in iowa when iowa, you know, iowa is a caucus, _ iowa, you know, iowa is a caucus, it's— iowa, you know, iowa is a caucus, it's a retail state, donald _ caucus, it's a retail state, donald trump lost that in 2016 when _ donald trump lost that in 2016 when he — donald trump lost that in 2016 when he was a non—incumbent candidate _ when he was a non—incumbent candidate. he's vulnerable t

chris christie seems to get.this race, i don't know what it is they really think they are doing. because whatever they are -- to vote for donald trump. one of them is articulating a theory of how they are going to convince them people to vote for -- >> emma, your thoughts? >> i do think we need a model in this race for substantive engagement and transparency. and i think it's refreshing to see someone who is willing to call out trump. and we have seen the way trump response to his critics. and it is so often with belittling people, taunting them. and so, to have someone who is coming to the race with a real commitment to transparency and substantive engagement is, i think, refreshing. that being said, i also think it is important not to paint -- a picture. if you look at the morning consult numbers from a, it was trump was at 56%. desantis at 56%. and christie was not on there. and we also saw christie's last campaign go down in flames and then he -- so, i think we have to hold the truths in our hands. >> i also

pence and christy -- pence might be ahead of christy, but is not much. we're only talking about 10% of the vote. all of these candidates in that lane, let's call it less than 10% when, they are all really struggling to convince republican voters that they matter really at all because i think that there is a sort of sense of irrelevancy that republican voters -- they are like, they are fine. it is conservative principles, and that is great, but there is something that they're missing that is really not getting them beyond where they are. even rhonda scent this, who is very well funded, well known, gets a lot of good evidence, he struggling to get past 30%. this is trump's party, and no one has proven the ability to dislodge the until this point. >> in kaitlan, in 2016, hope the republican rivals of donald trump really held a back, and they hoped somebody else would take on donald trump, and then those two with destroy each other and jeb bush and marco rubio, whatever, would emerge as the nominee. now, they have that someone. it's chris christie, he would

another former confidant of donald trump enters the 2024 what former new jersey governor chris christie'sontenders. ♪ ♪ >> how are we going to make this work? >> what about their development? >> can i afford to live and pay my bills? >> more than half of the country lives in an area considered a child care desert. meet two moms who are doing something about it. >> we have seen both sites. this is a problem, and we need to do something about it. ♪ ♪ >> norah: and the surprise of a lifetime. a military dad travels 30 hours to make it to his daughter's graduation. ♪ ♪ good evening to our viewers in the west, and thank you for joining us on this tuesday night. we want to begin tonightit environmental catastrophe unfolding in ukraine. and this is not because of the ongoing bombs and bullets raining down on citizens, but instead, the cascading floodwaters that are threatening thousands of people after a critical dam on the front lines was sabotaged. we are learning that those floodwaters are expected to peak in the coming hours. ukrainian president zelenskyy blamed russian terrorists for blowin

i think chris christie, it's a high bar for him.right now in the republican party, but he has to get on that debate stage. he has to be able to take on donald trump if donald trump participates, remember, donald trump is saying, you know, why would i show up if i've got such a large perjury ofcentage of th. he needs to go mano a mano with donald trump and i can't see how he will get to do that. i don't think trump wants to share a debate stage with him. that would be pretty toxic to watch. >> appreciate it all. programming note on this coming monday the 12th i'll be hosting a town hall with presidential candidate chris christie. it will air live at 8:00 p.m. monday 8:00 p.m. so i'll be able to ask him that question, will he commit to supporting the nominee because that is the rule now for anybody to participate in this republican debate. coming up tonight, a dam collapses in ukraine and there's major flooding threatening an area that is seeing increased fighting. two live reports on the disaster prompting evacuation, also tonight a

it's not chris christie the attack dog. chris christie is great. don't get me wrong. any candidate that is standing on that stage down by 40 plus points in the poll and not attacking former president trump for his failures and what he has done for this party, doesn't deserve to be on the stage. i mean that sincerely. tha this is not a vanity contest. if you're not about passion about eat defeating the guy ahead of you, get off the stage, clear the field. if i can be a voice in doing that as we get november, december and folks that will have the resonating message either stand up to fight to be the president or stop wasting or time. there's too much at stake when it comes to the republican party and the opportunity to get this country back. >> circle back to what i asked you near the beginning whether you would endorse a candidate who isn't donald trump before the new hampshire primary. >> yeah, i might. i very well might. i'll see where it all goes onds see who stands out and connects. my thing is about retail politics. connects with people on an individual level, not

cnn's republican town hall with chris christie moderated by chris christie moderated by anderson cooper starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com ♪ >>> good evening from new york and welcome to this "360 cnn town hall" with chris christie. i'm anderson cooper. on the eve of donald trump's arraignment in miami on 37 counts, we're going to hear directly from chris christie. christie ran in 2016, dropped out after new hampshire, and endorsed donald trump two weeks later. christie enters the race for the chance to take on president joe biden. tonight voters will have the opportunity to question the former governor directly about the issues on their minds. and i'll have a chance to ask questions of my own. this town hall is part of the republican primary process, so the audience tonight are voter who is say they plan to participate in their state's republican nominating contest. the audience comes from new york, new jersey, connecticut, as well as iowa, new hampshire, south carolina, and nevada. we reached out to affiliated business groups, also young professional and advocacy organi

here is chris christie responding to that moment. >> he wasn't anywhere near washington.have a tv? was he alive that day? did he see what was going on? i mean, that's one of the most ridiculous answers i've heard. people were killed, caitlin, as you know, that day, on capitol hill, defending the capitol. we had members of congress who were running for their lives. we had people trying to hunt down the vice president of the united states, chanting, hang mike pence, and donald trump, the entire time, sat outside the oval office, that dining room of his, eating away all done she's burger, and watching tv, and doing nothing to stop what was going on, until it got to the point where even he could no longer stand it. >> jay? >> i'm perplexed by these responses, i never thought in 1 million years i'd be saying that chris christie would be the wise for moral reason and moral contrast in this moment. he is in part that person, the one person who is speaking truth to power, showing that the emperor has no clothes. in that clip, you can see he can't seem to help himself, being the o

i'm gonna go with chris christie.he bridge gate scandal means he should not touch the white house with a ten foot pole, to be honest. for me it's gonna be chris christie. >> you've got to admit, by that standard, donald trump is -- just bridge gate looks like a parking ticket compared to a donald trump has allegedly been accused of. >> you're right, you're definitely right. oh yeah. >> i didn't mean to cut you off. go ahead if you want to finish your thought on that. >> no, i mean yeah, i think that just shows on such a little level, kind of how he views politics and the role of governor. trump is ten times worse, of course, but i think chris christie, i don't even think he's going to make it past 5%. but in an alternate universe, in the multi verse, he shipped from the nominee and becomes the president in some other oil. i think he'd do an awful job. i think he'd be as corrupt. >> i was gonna say, that's very generous of you. eugene, give me your thoughts. what do you think is worth of the week here between these two

chris christie did not have a ton of success in the last run.recent poll said 60% won't even consider him as an option. so he has an uphill battle. >> but he sees himself as a potentialhetorical assassin. and some of the most memorable events from the 2016 election were krichris christie sexcept was taking on marco rubio. see if you remember this. >> the thing is this, when you are president of the united states, governor of a state, the memorize the 30 second speech doesn't solve one problem for one person. they expect you to plow the snow, they expect you to get the schools open. none of that happens on the floor of united states senate. it is a fine job. glad you ran for it, but it does not help you for president of the united states. >> some people rubio never survived from that politically. >> i agree that i think rubio definitely faltered after the debates. but being able to do that against trump is a different story for christie. and christie has had a long running relationship with the former president. across two decades of being friend

but christie wasn't totally alone. one year ago, it will be one year wednesday, when millions of americans were glued to their tvs watching cassidy hutchinson testifying publicly. the january 6th committee's summer series of public hearings, hearings that proved powerful, not just because of gripping testimony from the likes of cassidy hutchinson and election workers like shay moss and ruby freeman or capitol police officer caroline edwards and many, many more but also because of the bipartisan nature of the rebuke of trump's conduct on january 6th. judge michael luttig was one of them. now, here's who he is and why he mattered. he's a legend in conservative republican circles. and when vp mike pence needed legal advice about what vp mike pence could legally do and not do during the joint session of congress, he called judge luttig, who not for nothing told him no, no, no, you cannot wave a wand and declare trump the next president. as judge luttig testified last summer, had mike pence followed trump's orders and eastm

in 2016, chris christie famously tangled with marco rubio and christie may have single handedly endedfor the nomination during a single debate in new hampshire. >> you have not been involved in a consequential decision where you had to be held accountable. you simply haven't. i want the people at home to think about this. that's what washington, d.c. does. the drive-by shot at the beginning with incorrect and incomplete information and then the memorized 25-second speech that is exactly -- [ cheers and applause ] see, marco, marco, the thing is this. when you're president of the united states, when you're governor of a state, the memorized 30-second speech where you talk about how america is so great at the end of it doesn't solve one problem for one person. >> this thing that barack obama doesn't know -- >> there it is. the policemen rised 25-second speech. there it is. do you know what the shame is? the shame is that you would actually criticize somebody for showing up to work plowing the streets, getting the trains running back on time when you've never been responsible for that in