Chris Christie Addresses GOP’s Future Beyond Trump at GW’s Sesno Series

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Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told a George Washington University audience Thursday night that the Republican Party will need to reclaim the values of integrity and character to move beyond the politics of the Trump era.

The former federal prosecutor and presidential candidate, once a prominent ally of President Donald Trump, made those remarks in a wide-ranging discussion about the current political landscape with Frank Sesno, School of Media and Public Affairs professor, former CNN Washington Bureau Chief, White House correspondent and anchor.

The discussion was part of the Sesno Series, which was established to promote civil discourse and bridge political divides. The series was endowed by GW alumnus and trustee Ted Segal, B.A. '03, and alumna Meredith Perla Segal, B.Accy. '05, in honor of Sesno. Thursday's conversation, held in the Jack Morton Auditorium, was broadcast nationally on C-SPAN and was the culmination of a day of events made possible by the endowed series.

Sesno highlighted Christie's longstanding relationship with Trump, which stretches back decades. Christie endorsed and campaigned for Trump after ending his own presidential campaign in 2016 and was considered for multiple positions in the Trump administration, including chief of staff.

"How could you have been so wrong?" Sesno asked.

Christie said his decision to endorse Trump followed the time-honored tradition of losing primary candidates supporting their party's nominee.

"That's just the way it's always been. And with every different stripe of Republican or Democratic candidate, that's what's happened," Christie said. "Whether you love the guy or don't love the guy, whether you respect them or don't respect them all that much, that's what we've done. That's what I did."

Christie added that because of that relationship he had with Trump, he believed he could influence him. "That I could make him better," Christie said.

But his breaking point came in the immediate aftermath of the 2020 election. Christie, who worked as a political contributor for ABC on election night and in the days that followed, watched Trump claim that the election had been rigged and stolen, prompting him to say that he was "more appalled than I've ever been by any set of remarks by a president in my lifetime."

Christie said he later spoke with Trump and urged him to concede the election to Biden and invite him to the White House to congratulate him. Trump rejected that advice, Christie said.

The relationship deteriorated further after Jan. 6, 2021, when Christie urged Trump to intervene as the Capitol riot unfolded. Christie said he tried to reach Trump by phone and text but received no response.

"That's when I knew two things," Christie said. "One, that the things that I'd said on election night had not sat well with him. And two, that this situation was beyond salvation."

Christie took questions from GW students throughout the night. Elizabeth Cummings, vice chairman of the College Republicans, asked what values, beyond individual policy issues, could bring the party together.

Character and integrity, Christie responded. "We gave it up," he said. "We sacrificed it when we selected Donald Trump."

Without character and integrity, he asked, how can a president be trusted to follow through on promises? "If we get character wrong, I don't care what you say about inflation, I don't care what you say about Iran, because I can't trust you to be telling me the truth," Christie said.

Economic uncertainty, from the rising cost of goods and services to a difficult job market, stood out as a top concern for many students.

Sesno asked audience members 25 and younger to raise their hands. He then asked how many believed their generation would have a better life than the generation before them. Sesno noted, from the number of hands that immediately went down, there's clearly growing pessimism about the future among young people.

"I think they're missing hope," Christie said. "And in today's world, I can't blame them for missing hope, because we don't have leaders right now who are speaking hopefully about the future."

Christie pointed to inflation and the impact of artificial intelligence on the job market, saying those types of economic concerns will weigh on the midterm elections.

"If you lose seats in Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, that's a whole different level of political trouble," Christie said. "Because those are states that, regardless of what was happening in the overall atmosphere, would vote Republican."

He identified Maine, New Hampshire and Ohio as races to watch for an indication of how the night will unfold. "If those all go Democrat, then that means we as a party are in for a very tough night," Christie said.

As the evening went on, the conversation turned to the 2028 presidential election, among other topics.

Sesno asked whether Vice President JD Vance could become the Republican nominee, and Christie responded with doubt, arguing that Vance is too closely associated with Trump.

Christie said he doesn't think Secretary of State Marco Rubio wants to run against Vance, and that Rubio is young enough to wait. He also questioned whether a "Trump Republican," which he said Rubio now is, can win in 2028.

Sesno asked, "What about a guy named Chris Christie?"

Christie didn't rule out a third presidential run. He said his first presidential campaign was driven by hope, while his second campaign was driven by principle and a desire to challenge Trump.

"You don't run a third time for the experience or the exercise," Christie said. "And so if I decide to run a third time, it's because I've seen what I think is a path that could lead to victory."

Despite his criticism of Trump and the current Republican Party, Christie said he remains confident that the country can move through its current political divisions.

He pointed to periods in American history he saw as more riddled with political turmoil and division, including the McCarthy era and the late 1960s when the country experienced political assassinations, protests and divisions over the Vietnam War and civil rights.

"We've been here before," Christie said.