If Trump has always been this way, why do Chris Christie and other so-called moderate Republicans support him? Big Chris offers the odd defense that he is OK with Trump as long as he doesn't veer too far away from traditional Republican policies. That seems to be the way most Republicans think because the alternatives in their mind, "Sleepy Joe" Biden, "Pocahontas" Liz or "Crazy Bernie," are infinitely worse. That's why I don't put much stock in all these conservatives turning away from Trump come voting day 2020, unless some magical third party candidate emerges to capture their dull imagination.
Christie bemoans there are no moderates left, but he helped Trump slay the more centrist candidates in his party last time around when he went after Marco Rubio in the debates, and stood with Trump as he won the succeeding primaries in the South. Christie could have signed onto John Kasich, who was still in the race, but chose not to. He figured a plum cabinet position awaited, maybe even attorney general, but there was Jared Kushner standing in his way, the son of the loathsome real estate developer he went after in New Jersey. After his brief stint on the Trump transition team, Big Chris was relegated to the bleachers, where he has been heckling the Trump White House ever since.
Still, the former New Jersey governor says he will vote for Trump in 2020, even if he is adamantly opposed to many of the consequential actions the president has taken. He won't think about challenging Trump himself, as William Weld of Joe Walsh have done. He'll just sit in the cheap seats and heckle some more.
The sad part is that Big Chris is not even very good at this, attempting to stare down a Cubs fan who had the gall to call him a hypocrite. This is a guy who is all bluster and no action. His eight long miserable years as governor are all the proof you need of this. He drove the state's debt so far into the hole, that he had the credit rating cut 11 times by Moody's, an appalling record for any governor, liberal, conservative or moderate. In short, Chris Christie is an abject failure, yet the press loves the garrulous former governor who always has something to say about everything.
Republicans are fucked! Not only are they stuck with unquestionably the worst president in American history, but they have no one to challenge him. Those who do are mostly crying sour grapes, like Anthony "The Mooch" Scaramucci, who briefly served as Trump's communications director before overstepping his position and being fired after 11 days on the job. The Mooch claims there is a mutiny taking place in the White House and that Trump will drop out of the race before the Republican National Convention next summer.
The sad part is that we heard all this before in 2016. As scandals dogged Trump through the general election, everyone including Republican Congresspersons were calling for him to drop out of the race, but there he was still in the race come election day and behold he won the electoral vote count the following day. Safe to say that all these disgruntled Republicans bit their lips and voted for Trump. Why shouldn't they do the same this time around as well?
It doesn't matter that Trump's dementia now runs so deep he openly waxes on buying Greenland, proclaims himself the "Chosen One," and contemplates whether he should defy the Constitution and run for multiple terms. The Republican National Committee urges voters not to look at his tweets but at his record. He has upheld the most sacred Republican positions on everything from gun rights, taxes to border security. Even when he does stray a little, like suggesting that maybe better background checks are in order, it only takes one call from the NRA to set him straight again. Donald may be pliable, but easily bent back into shape.
What Chris Christie can't stand is how Trump gets away with all the things he says and is still President. Any other Republican would have been run out of Washington by now. Not Trump. The crazier he becomes, the more beloved he becomes. The GOP base eats up everything he says at rallies, no matter how daft. He never admits to a mistake no matter how painfully jarring. Teflon Ronnie would have never had a chance against this guy. Trump is iron plated.
However, Trump's numbers look pretty bad in key states, which does have some Republicans worrying he just might lose the White House in 2020, especially if the Democrats put up one of their more moderate candidates, say Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. It seems Christie doesn't want Bill Weld or Joe Walsh running against Trump, as it might expose the Big Man and make him even more vulnerable to electoral defeat next year.
It's interesting because Weld and Walsh come from two totally different perspectives. Weld never liked Trump. He ran as Gary Johnson's Veep on the Libertarian ticket last time around. Walsh, on the other hand, was an avid Trump supporter but felt the president had failed to deliver on his signature promises, namely the border wall. A sentiment shared by many on the extreme right, including Ann Coulter. Somewhere in between is Chris Christie offering his take at the weekly round table discussions.
It's all so comical now that we very well may see a backlash to Trump once the Republican primaries begin. It is doubtful Trump will submit himself to anything approximating a debate, so these candidates will have to content themselves with cardboard cutouts on the campaign trail. Just the same, come election day 2020 they will all stand behind Trump because they have nowhere else to turn.
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