"Show up to the debate and say it to my face": Trump's attack on Chris Christie's weight backfires

GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie on Tuesday hit back at Donald Trump for comments the former president made about his weight by challenging Trump to show up to the debate. "If you had the guts, you would show up to the debate and say it to my face," Christie tweeted, calling out Trump for dodging the first Republican primary debate.

"Christie, he's eating right now. He can't be bothered," Trump said at a campaign event in New Hampshire on Tuesday. When an audience member seemingly jumped on Trump's bandwagon of jeers, the ex-president said, "Sir, please do not call him a fat pig. That's very disrespectful. Don't call him — see, I'm trying to be nice. Don't call him a fat pig. You can't do it. You can't do that. So now, because you're not allowed to do that, and therefore we're not going to do it, OK? We want to be very civil." Christie, who has long struggled with his weight, has emerged as one of Trump's most fervent critics since announcing his bid for the 2024 presidency. Trump has repeatedly mocked the former New Jersey governor for his physical appearance since the primary campaign began, also noting that he will not likely appear for the first round of Republican primary debates at the end of the month.