New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was once thought of as a potential Republican candidate for president, but quickly fell out of favor after the infamous "Bridgegate" scandal. Despite this, Christie is putting the blame on Donald Trump for why he is not the current commander in chief.

Christie on Trump

Heading into the 2016 presidential election, one of the names at the top of the list to represent the Republican Party was Chris Christie, the two-term governor of New Jersey. Christie's outspoken style was a departure from previous Republican nominees, like Mitt Romney and John McCain, and gave a potential new look to the GOP brand that was in need of a change.

However, heading into the election cycle, Christie was accused of ordering the closure of parts of George Washington Bridge back in 2013 as retribution against Democratic Mayor of Fort Lee Mark Sokolich for not supporting him in the previous election. The scandal resulted in Christie eventually being cleared, but several of his staff members were found guilty of collusion. With the scandal hanging over his head, Christie's chances at the 2016 nomination decreased and were all but flattened with the candidacy of Donald Trump, who took the demeanor of outspoken New Yorker to a new level. In an interview with New Jersey Advance Media on January 7, Christie put the blame on Trump.

While giving his exit interview with New Jersey Advance Media this weekend, Chris Christie elaborated on his thoughts on what went wrong with his 2016 campaign for president.

"It’s incredibly frustrating to think to yourself, ‘Wow, if this guy were not in the race, we’d win this thing,'” Christie said in reference to Donald Trump.

"I absolutely believe if Trump had not gotten into the race I think we would have won," Chris Christie went on to say, before confirming that he personally called Donald Trump on the phone when the former host of "The Apprentice" brought up the Bridgegate scandal during the election.

In response to the interview, critics of the governor had a field day on social media.

Twitter reacts

Once Chris Christie's comments were made public, the opposition wasted no time firing back. "Chris Christie thinking he would have won the nomination if not for Trump suggests he's so insane he should be White House communications director," John Podoretz of the New York Post wrote.

"I would suggest that @ChrisChristie ought to sit down, but I wouldn’t want to see the Tri-State area experience an earthquake," Daily Wire's Elliot Hamilton posted.

"Chris Christie can't be serious about this. Um...can he??? Seriously?? I have me doubts," another tweet wrote.

"No, fat man, you would definitely NOT be President. Conservatives AND Liberals hate you," an additional tweet stated. "Sorry Chris Christie, they had their sucker picked out and you weren't it, a follow-up tweet added.
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