Chris Christie knocks Donald Trump over 2020 election, praise of Vladimir Putin in wide-ranging town hall

WASHINGTON — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had sharp words for Donald Trump in a town hall in New Hampshire and rebuked the former president for his previous praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Vladimir Putin who is executing these atrocities against people who were just in their country living their lives,“ Christie said, “This is the guy that Donald Trump calls a great leader and brilliant.”

“If he believes that Vladimir Putin is brilliant and a great leader, is that really the character and judgment that you want sitting (in the White House)?” Christie continued.

Christie’s comments come off the heels of a surprise visit to Ukraine where he met with President Volodomyr Zelenskyy to assess the war effort against Russia and U.S. aid to Kyiv. At his town hall in New London, Christie reaffirmed his support for Ukraine.

“We should have lots of debates about the appropriate use of American military money, of the appropriate use of American ingenuity in supporting allies,” Christie said. “But I’ll tell you this, the country that I’ve grown up in, we’ve never ever let this happen to an ally without helping them.”

The Republican presidential field has been divided over whether the U.S. should continue providing military aid to Ukraine as it fends off Russian aggression. Christie has sought to differentiate himself from the rest of the pack by voicing strong support for Kyiv. Former Vice President Mike Pence, another presidential hopeful, also visited Ukraine in June to reaffirm U.S. support for the war effort.

Here are other highlights from Christie’s town hall in New Hampshire.

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Christie takes shot at DeSantis for saying Trump lost 2020 election−in 2023

Trump was not the only 2024 GOP candidate who was on the receiving end of Christie’s attacks.

Christie also took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his recent interview with NBC News in which DeSantis said Trump lost the 2020 election, long after he repeatedly dodged the question.

“Let me give a big round of applause to governor DeSantis for catching up on two-and-half-year-old news.” Christie quipped.

The former New Jersey governor has repeatedly blasted Trump for his false claims of election fraud and has reaffirmed on the campaign trail to voters the 2020 election was not stolen.

“Let me be clear and not just be critical, the election was not stolen,” Christie said.

Christie slams GOP-backed gender-affirming care bans for trans youth

Christie also slammed various GOP-led efforts to ban gender-affirming health care for young transgender people, chiding Republicans for not focusing on “the big problems.”

“You know what my position is on that?” Christie said. “Parents should be the ones making those decisions. How is a governor sitting in a statehouse know better about what should happen inside your home than you do?”

DeSantis again was on the receiving end of Christie’s attacks, but the former New Jersey governor also blasted Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders for signing a ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth.

Christie accused those Republicans of not being true to “small government” conservatism.

“Now all of a sudden we’ve got big government conservatives like Ron DeSantis doing this stuff” Christie said. “I don’t want anybody telling me how to raise my kids.”

In New Hampshire, Christie sees backlash over abortion

One challenge that has plagued Republicans in the 2024 presidential field has been abortion. Candidates have offered widely differing views on restrictions as the GOP grapples with electoral backlash after the constitutional right to an abortion was overturned last summer.

In the more libertarian-minded state of New Hampshire, where the majority of Granite State voters across the political spectrum support abortion rights, an attendee asked Christie about his stance on abortion while also adding he thought abortion should be “between a woman, her husband and a doctor.”

“I believe every state should be able to make, and its people, to make their own judgment about abortion,” Christie said, reiterating that he considers himself “pro-life.”

Christie’s answer quickly drew a protest from an attendee who disagreed, showing how politically volatile the issue can be in the state. For Christie’s part, he did not mince words when it came to his answer.

“The states should decide it, and once we have those decisions in the states, I don’t want to give you an illusion, it won’t be resolved. It’s too emotional an issue,” Christie said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chris Christie talks Trump, Ukraine, abortion and more in NH town hall