Chris Christie partly blamed his former friend Donald Trump for the rise of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia across the country.
The former New Jersey governor claimed Trump’s language has emboldened others to act hatefully.
“When you show bigotry toward everyone, which is what he does, you give permission as a leader for others to make their bigotry public,” Christie said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
“And that’s been happening for quite some time, not just with Donald Trump, but with college professors on some of our most elite campuses in this country.”
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is Jewish and his daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism.
Throughout his presidency, Trump, now 77, proudly presented himself as a strong supporter of Israel during his time in the White House, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital and mediating the Abraham Accords.
Chris Christie visited Israel earlier this month.Getty Images
The Post has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.
Since war broke out in Israel following Hamas’ deadly surprise attack on October 7, there have been a series of anti-Semitic incidents on college campuses across the United States.
Last month at Cooper Union, Jewish students claimed they were forced to hide in the library during pro-Palestinian protests.
At George Washington University, the phrase “Free Palestine from the river to the sea” was projected on a campus building.
The phrase refers to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
It is widely interpreted as a call to completely erase the Jewish state and is considered an anti-Semitic slogan by the Anti-Defamation League.
At the same time, there has been an increase in Islamophobic attacks.
Last month, a 6-year-old Palestinian boy in the Chicago area was allegedly murdered in a hate crime by a homeowner.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have denounced US support for Israel and demanded a ceasefire in the conflict. Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire / SplashNews.com
Christie, 61, has long presented himself to voters as the only candidate prepared to withstand Trump’s attacks (and respond with barbs of his own) in the 2024 Republican race.
“In my opinion, we now have four main contenders for the nomination: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and myself,” he said.
Notably absent from their list was businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who generally polls better than the former governor nationally.
Christie has zeroed in on New Hampshire as his ticket to the party. In the Granite State, she ranks third on average behind Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Despite his current position in a distant third place, Christie was optimistic about his chances, noting that the late Sen. John McCain was in third place in New Hampshire around this time in 2008.
Donald Trump is the favorite of the Republican Party for 2024.AP
“People are just starting to get involved, even in a place like New Hampshire,” he told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
Christie, whose campaign says he has qualified for the fourth Republican debate on Dec. 6 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, insisted he will be in the Republican race for the long haul.
“I’ll be in this race until the convention,” he said.
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