Chris Christie says Trump’s ‘strange week’ of controversies is damaging his image

WASHINGTON, DC: Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s recent conduct and policy decisions during a televised roundtable discussion on Sunday, December 21.

Appearing on 'This Week,' Christie responded to questions about several controversies involving the president, including a primetime address, a proposal to rename the Kennedy Center, and signs of internal Republican dissent.

Christie said the sequence of events was damaging to both Trump’s leadership image and the Republican Party. His remarks came amid broader debates over public approval, foreign policy challenges, and legislative disagreements. 

Christie blasts Trump’s messaging and White House actions

During a segment moderated by Jonathan Karl on 'This Week,' former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie described what he called an unusually turbulent period for President Donald Trump.

Karl referenced several recent developments, including Trump’s proposal to rename the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a recent primetime address, and actions taken at the White House.

“Merry Christmas to you, too, Mr president,” Christie said before outlining his concerns. He described the week as “pretty strange,” criticizing Trump’s social media conduct, the decision to attach his name to a building honoring a former president, and what he characterized as a frenetic national television speech filled with inaccuracies that came across as confrontational toward the public.

Christie also took aim at plaques placed beneath presidential portraits along the White House colonnade.

“And then he puts these plaques out underneath the presidential pictures he’s put on the colonnade, filled with things that you could tell just from reading that he wrote them himself,” Christie said.

“Read like Truth Social posts,” Karl replied. “It did,” Christie agreed.

Christie warns of GOP divisions and political fallout

Chris Christie warned that the controversies surrounding President Donald Trump are unfolding at a time when public confidence in his leadership remains divided.

Citing polling data, Christie said, “60 percent of the people in the country say the economy is no better under him than it was under Joe Biden.”

He also pointed to unresolved foreign policy challenges, noting, “The war continues to rage on in Ukraine that he said he was going to settle in 24 hours,” and added that Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to “manipulate him to deteriorate the 80-year NATO alliance."

Christie further cited signs of Republican dissent in Congress.

“Twice now, in the past month, you’ve seen Republicans break from him on Capitol Hill, on both the Epstein files and ACA subsidies, to sign discharge petitions to rebuke both the speaker and the president,” he said.