Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie ripped former US President Donald Trump over his interest in a debate between himself and Meghan Markle.
“Look, he says so many ridiculous things,” Christie told CNN’s Dana Bash on Thursday.
“I think there is absolutely no interest in either Donald Trump or Meghan Markle debating about anything. And if people really want to have the real issues that are concerning their lives, like inflation, our role around the world, our troubled education system, crime and law and order in our cities debated, we need to have serious candidates on that [debate] stage.”
Trump entertained the debate idea after conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, during an interview on Wednesday, claimed it could attract a similar audience to the estimated 90 million people that watched the Billie Jean King-Bobby Riggs “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match in 1973.
“And the only thing I think that might draw an audience that even approaches that would be if you were to sit down with the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. They don’t like you much. Would you do that for the ratings?” Hewitt asked Trump.
“Oh, if you want to set it up, let’s set it up. Let’s go do something. I’d love to debate her. I would love it. I disagree so much with what they’re doing,” replied Trump, who claimed the pair treated the late Queen Elizabeth II “with great disrespect.”
Christie’s comments arrive less than a month after Trump skipped the first Republican presidential debate and instead joined Tucker Carlson for an interview that acted as counter programming that night.
The former New Jersey governor shared a clip from his interview with Bash on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “Donald Trump wants to debate Meghan Markle but not his opponents? What a joke. I’m sure they’d have a great debate on Spotify. Keep me on the stage for when the coward finally shows up to debate me.”