February 28, 2016
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is known for his boisterous personality. It may have been his ego, however, that pushed him over the edge to endorse business mogul and reality television star Donald Trump for the GOP nomination.
A recent report from the New York Times detailed how members of the Republican Party are trying to stop Trump from becoming their candidate to go up against Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders in November.
It looked at how many in the party's establishment are throwing their weight behind Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and how he's working to shore up support among fellow politicians.
Rubio said earlier in February he called Christie when the governor dropped out of the race to wish him well -- a gesture to show he wasn't dwelling on a contentious exchange at a debate that drew headlines.
According to the Times report, Christie wasn't thrilled with Rubio's tone in that call and was upset he was getting advice from someone he's previously lambasted for lack of experience. Here's more from the Times:
Mr. Rubio showed a lack of finesse in dealing with his fallen rivals’ injured egos.
Mr. Christie had attacked Mr. Rubio contemptuously in New Hampshire, calling him shallow and scripted, and humiliating him in a debate. Nevertheless, Mr. Rubio made a tentative overture to Mr. Christie after his withdrawal from the presidential race. He left the governor a voice mail message, seeking Mr. Christie’s support and assuring him that he had a bright future in public service, according to people who have heard Mr. Christie’s characterization of the message.
Mr. Christie, 53, took the message as deeply disrespectful and patronizing, questioning why “a 44-year-old” was telling him about his future, said people who described his reaction on the condition of anonymity. Further efforts to connect the two never yielded a direct conversation.
In his endorsement of Trump, Christie took shots at Rubio for his supposed inexperience and for not "showing up for work," a reference to his missed Senate votes.
Several GOP strategists have suggested Christie's backing of Trump may have nullified momentum Rubio has acquired from a wave of recent endorsements.
