Republican presidential contender and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Monday will take on front-runner Donald Trump in a speech in which he plans to argue that beating Democrats in 2016 requires his proven leadership and not a campaign fueled by anger and “bluster.”
Mr. Christie will warn that significant division within the GOP will hand the election to likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and guarantee a continuation of the “weak leadership” of President Obama.
“Bluster is not the leadership we crave. Talking a big game and either not showing up or not knowing how isn’t what we desperately need today,” Mr. Christie will say in a speech at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, according to excerpts provided by the campaign.
In the excerpts, he does not mention Mr. Trump by name, but the descriptions of untested leadership, anger and bluster appeared aimed at the billionaire businessman and realty TV star.
“We need someone who knows how to make decisions, how to make them work for our government and for our citizens. We need an experienced, tested decision maker in the Oval Office,” Mr. Christie will say.
Mr. Christie has surged in the polls in recent weeks, including scoring a third-place finish in a recent ARG poll of GOP primary voters in New Hampshire. However, Mr. Trump has maintained a lead in most polls in early-voting states and double-digit advantages in national polls.
Making a pitch to win over Mr. Trump’s supporters, the governor will say that he understands their anger.
“I don’t blame the voters for being angry. You have every right to be angry,” he will say. “You have every right to demand more. This president, the career politicians in Congress, the media, the D.C. insiders all want to dismiss your anger as irrational. They label you crazy because their livelihoods depend upon calling you names and dismissing your worries. They desperately want to protect the status quo in Washington, D.C. I know you are not what they label you.”
He continues: “Anger alone is not a solution. Today, as at many other times in our history, America needs leaders who not only identify our problems, but who have the ability to repair our broken system. That’s what this election is all about.”
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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