Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie deployed a new nickname for Donald Trump while roasting the former president for “ducking” another Republican presidential debate.
“If you keep doing that, no one up here’s gonna call you Donald Trump anymore. You’re gonna be Donald Duck,” Christie jabbed.
Trump has famously lashed out at his enemies with myriad disparaging monikers such as “Crooked Joe,” “Meatball Ron” and “DeSanctimonous.”
But Christie, who has fashioned himself as a Trump attack dog, is seemingly trying to give the former president a taste of his own medicine.
“I want to look at a camera right now. Let me tell you, Donald, I know you’re watching. You can’t help yourself. I know you’re watching,” Christie said prior to unveiling the new nickname.
“You’re not here tonight not because of polls, and not because of your indictments. You’re not here tonight, because you’re afraid of being on the stage and defending your record. You’re ducking these things,” Christie continued.
Trump cited his enormous lead in the polls as a reason for skipping the debate. He is trouncing his nearest foe, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by 42.2 percentage points in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate.
Trump has fat-shamed Christie and called him a “slob” in the past. His campaign’s account on X, formerly Twitter, posted an unflattering image of his one-time ally to seemingly take a potshot at the 2024 hopeful’s weight.
Christie’s X account fired back minutes later with a gif of Donald Duck.
Christie befriended Trump in the early 2000s during his days as US attorney for New Jersey.
The two have since fallen out bitterly. Christie cited the 2020 election aftermath and Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot as the breaking point for him.