'Easy decision': Stephen Colbert mocks Chris Christie's exit from presidential race on 'The Late Show'

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: On the January 10 episode of 'The Late Show', Stephen Colbert playfully roasted Chris Christie, the now-former GOP presidential hopeful who exited the Republican primary race earlier in the day.

The host, Colbert found humor in a clever pun, remarking that with Chris Christie dropping out of the race, his rival Nikki Haley is now set to "take all of his voter."

Colbert stated Chris Christie is 'clearing the way for Nikki Haley to take all of this voter'

The humor in Colbert's joke about Chris Christie and Nikki Haley was accentuated by the play on words, emphasizing that Christie only had "the one voter."

Stephen Colbert, in his comedic style, delivered breaking news, saying, "There is breaking news about former Governor of New Jersey and man so nice they Chris’d him twice, Chris Christie tonight at five o’clock, so this just happened a little while ago, Chris Christie officially announced he is dropping out of the presidential race."

Colbert commented on Christie's decision, stating, "He made this tough decision after looking at the polls and realizing it was an easy decision"- the remark alluding to Christie's consistently low polling among Republicans, with current support registering at just 2% as of today's date.

“Christie is not expected to make any endorsements at this time, but the timing of this decision indicates that he’s clearing the way for Nikki Haley to take all of this voter," Colbert continued.

Stephen Colbert makes fun of Chris Christie

Colbert took a moment to revel in a pun, playfully stating, "Christie is not expected to make any endorsements at this time but the timing of this decision indicates that he's clearing the way for Nikki Haley to take all of his voter; it's a stroker," referring to a chin-stroker, and the audience joined in with laughter.

He then highlighted, "Chris Christie was the most high-profile and consistent critic of trump still." In contrast, he humorously mentioned Ron DeSantis, whose campaign slogan was quipped as "Ron DeSantis, Trump 2024."

For context, ABC News reported that Christie delivered an extensive speech on January 10, elucidating his decision and expressing a desire for conservatives not to rally around the front-runner, Donald Trump.

However, the impact of Christie's choice on GOP voters remains uncertain, as the majority in polls consistently express their preference for Trump as the party's nominee.

With Christie bowing out, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was also vying for the support of independent and anti-Trump voters in New Hampshire, is expected to benefit to some extent from his decision.

Polls indicate that support among the alternatives to Trump could become less fragmented now that Christie has suspended his campaign.