Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie bemoaned the dearth of Republican criticism of former President Donald Trump with a reference to the Harry Potter villain Voldemort, “he who must not be named.”
Christie made the quip on Thursday during a small event in New Hampshire, in which he criticized fellow Republicans for not more actively pushing back against Trump.
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Christie continued, “You’re not going to beat someone by closing your eyes, clicking your heels together three times and saying, ‘There’s no place like home.’”
The former governor’s comment echoed remarks from a similar trip to New Hampshire last month. The state holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP presidential nominating calendar.
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Christie argued that he has the debate chops to potentially take down Trump, should he face off with the former president, who is now five months into his third White House run and remains the clear front-runner in the early Republican primary polls.
Christie pointed to a decision sometime next month.
“It’s an ongoing process. You investigate three different ways,” Christie explained. “First is to talk to people who have worked for you over time and know you well, and to get their opinions,” Christie has said about his consideration to run.
He continued, “I’ve been doing that. Second is to go to donors and see if it’s something they’re willing to financially support, because you can’t run a campaign for President of the United States without having significant financial support. And third, it’s in your heart. Do you feel like you can get up every morning and feel like ‘Yeah, I know how I’m going to try to win this thing. I better go do it.'”
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.