AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
- Chris Christie mocked Donald Trump's 2020 loss to Joe Biden in the latest exchange between the two former friends.
- "When I ran for reelection in 2013, I got 60% of the vote," Christie said.
- Christie, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, has criticized Trump's lies about the 2020 election.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie mocked former President Donald Trump's 2020 loss to President Joe Biden in the latest hostile exchange between the two Republicans.
"I'm not gonna get into a back-and-forth with Donald Trump," Christie said during a new interview with "Axios on HBO." "But what I will say is this: When I ran for reelection in 2013, I got 60% of the vote. When he ran for reelection, he lost to Joe Biden."
Last weekend, Christie, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, urged his party to move on from the 2020 election during an address to the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas. Trump, who continues to falsely claim he won reelection, hit back with a press release claiming Christie "was just absolutely massacred by his statements" in Las Vegas.
Christie in his interview with Axios insisted that he's focused on battling Democrats and aiding other Republicans seeking office, rather than relitigating in past disputes.
"I want to spend my time combating the policies of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris – and trying to help Republicans win governorships and the House and the Senate in 2022," he said.
He added, "This is not an argument that I'll walk away from. I think it's much more productive to fight those policies than to fight with other Republicans."
Christie suffered a sharp decline in popularity following his unsuccessful 2016 presidential bid, early endorsement of Trump, and multiple high-profile political scandals. In 2017, two of Christie's top aides were convicted and sentenced to prison for intentionally causing traffic issues on the George Washington Bridge to retaliate against the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee for refusing to back Christie's reelection bid. Christie left office in 2018 with his approval rating under 20%, making him the least popular governor in New Jersey history.
Similarly, Trump left office with historically low approval ratings. Following the Capitol riot in January 2021, he had the lowest approval rating of his presidency at 29%.