Trump blasted as ‘puppet of Putin’ and ‘coward’ for CNN town hall remarks

Former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) blasted former President Donald Trump as a “puppet of Putin,” marking his latest escalation against the GOP front-runner.

Christie slammed Trump’s New Hampshire town hall event Wednesday evening as he mulls a presidential challenge against him. The former governor took particular issue with Trump’s refusal to say that Ukraine should win the war.

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“Donald Trump says he would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours tonight on CNN. Despite how ridiculous that is to say, I suspect he would try to do it by turning Ukraine over to Putin and Russia. #Putin’sPuppet,” he tweeted.

During the town hall, Trump was asked if he wanted Ukraine to win the war.

“I don’t think in terms of winning and losing. I think in terms of getting it settled so we stop killing all these people,” Trump replied.

The former president warned that the raging conflict between Russia and Ukraine has the potential to devolve into World War III, a fate he pledged to have “settled in one day.”

In an interview with Hugh Hewitt, Christie continued his criticism of Trump, slamming the former president for his response to a jury finding him liable for sexual abuse and defamation in E. Jean Carroll vs. Donald J. Trump. The jury concluded that Trump was liable for the sexual abuse of former gossip columnist E. Jean Carroll, but it did not determine he raped her as she claimed. The jury awarded her $5 million for defamation and battery.

Trump denied wrongdoing and repeated his claim that he didn’t know her during the town hall event.

“I don’t find it credible for him to say he doesn’t know the woman,” Christie said. “This guy must be the most unlucky guy in the world. Women who he’s never met and he doesn’t know continue to accuse him of things. I don’t think we need somebody that’s that unlucky as president of the United States.”

Ahead of Trump’s town hall, which marked his return to CNN, Christie took out multiple Facebook ads suggesting biting questions for attendees to ask him, including why he may boycott some of the 2024 GOP debates.

Christie befriended Trump in the early 2000s while serving as U.S. attorney general for the District of New Jersey. In the time since, he has turned on Trump and pushed the GOP to select another standard-bearer.

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As he mulls a run, Christie has done multiple town halls in New Hampshire and has hinted that if he were to jump into the ring, he would not shy away from taking on the front-runner.

Christie said he might take up to two weeks to make a 2024 decision.