The Real Reason Chris Christie's Kids Have Bad Blood With Donald Trump
Donald Trump doesn't hold back when he has an adversary in his crosshairs. The insults, social media attacks, and nicknames fly thick and fast, placing the subjects of his ire firmly in the line of fire. Chris Christie is a regular on Trump's list, and his kids, for one, are not too happy about it.
Chris and his wife, Mary Pat Christie, share four children: Andrew, Sarah, Bridget, and Patrick Christie. Chris' offspring were firmly divided over his decision to run for president. He told Kelly Rippa during an episode of "Let's Talk off Camera" in November 2023 that his sons were on board. His daughters? Not so much. Chris said his oldest was worried Trump's supporters would harm her dad over his outspoken criticism of 45. Meanwhile, his youngest worried that if her dad won, she would have to endure a Secret Service tail. "[She's] very committed to her nation and a higher calling. I think that higher calling is fake ID to get into a bar," Chris quipped.
Ultimately, Sarah and Bridget's worries were all for nothing. Chris announced in January 2023 that he wouldn't continue his presidential bid. "It's clear to me tonight that there isn't a path for me to win the nomination, which is why I'm suspending my campaign tonight," Christie announced during a New Hampshire town hall. That doesn't mean a Trump ceasefire, though. Or an end to Chris' kids' bad blood with his political rival
Chris Christie's children disapprove of the name-calling
Donald Trump is the King of nasty nicknames: Ron DeSanctimonious, Crooked Joe Biden, and Low Energy Jeb are just a few of the choice epithets. Not surprisingly, after Chris Christie and Trump's relationship turned sour, the former Governor of New Jersey also made the cut, earning the sobriquet "Sloppy Chris Christie." The golden rule of thumb for those on the receiving end of Trump's mockery is "Don't poke the bear." However, Christie's kids aren't taking the diss lying down.
In addition to branding their dad "sloppy Chris Christie," Trump's regularly taken aim at the politician in several below-the-belt punches. "Look, please do not call Chris Christie a fat pig, OK? It's not appropriate 'cause you're not allowed to use the word fat ... use the word pig," Trump told the crowd during a New Hampshire rally in December. "You can't use the word. No, we don't want to call him that," he continued, despite being the one who coined the insult.
In an interview with Fox News in December 2023, Christie acknowledged that nobody "should be subjected" to name-calling. Still, he said it's his offspring who really take objection to it. "My children hate it. Especially because we've been friends with Donald Trump for over 20 years ... we've been to his home a number of times ... it just shows you he's lost it," Christie said.
The weaponizing of weight
The irony of Donald Trump's attacks on Chris Christie's weight hasn't gone unnoticed. "Imagine you weigh 300 pounds and you call someone else 'fat pig,'" an observer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. However, others called his bluff. "His kids are upset that they knew Trump for 20 years and never knew him to mock people like their Dad?" one comment reads.
It's far from the first time, and unlikely the last, that 45 has weaponized somebody's weight. Trump's lambasting of Rosie O'Donnell's size was equally as nasty. "[She's] disgusting both inside and out. You take a look at her. She's a slob," he said in 2012. "If I was running 'The View,' I'd fire her. I'd look her in that fat ugly face of hers, and I'd say, 'Rosie, you're fired,'" Trump continued.
He defended his penchant for attacking women over their looks during a 2016 presidential debate. "I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct," he claimed. "I've been challenged by so many people, and I don't, quite frankly, have time for total political correctness, and to be honest with you, this country doesn't have time either." Meanwhile, Christie isn't above launching his own attacks against Trump, although he prefers to use a different name. When Christie announced his 2024 presidential bid, he made it clear he was going all-out against Trump, calling him "a lonely, self-consumed, self-serving mirror hog."