Chris Christie gives debate advice to Biden: Let Trump talk

"Don’t engage, because you will lose that fight," Chris Christie said.

Published: May 29, 2024 2:43pm

Former New Jersey governor and GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie offered President Joe Biden the same debate advice he gave then-President Donald Trump in 2020: "let him talk."

Christie, who dropped out of the GOP presidential primary in January, told “Hacks on Tap” podcast hosts David Axelrod and Mike Murphy on Tuesday that he would give Biden the same advice he gave Trump ahead of the 2020 presidential debates, The Hill reported.

“It’s the same advice I gave to Trump four years ago that he did not follow. And I said, ‘Let Biden talk. If you let him talk, he will hang himself.’ And of course, he did the exact opposite and lost the debate,” Christie said, insisting Biden ought to take the same approach. "I don’t care how angry you get about how absolutely incorrect the stuff he’s saying about your record is, about your family, about you personally. Don’t engage, because you will lose that fight."

Biden, Christie asserted, should focus on three or four of the best points of his presidency and act as if he is conversing with the moderator, rather than debating Trump.

“Let Trump look like the angry guy standing at the fence, yelling at his neighbor, and you’d be the guy on your lawn mower, with your AirPods in, driving around and every once in a while, just wave as you go by and not even paying attention,” Christie explained.

“It’s two reasons why. One, you want to emphasize how crazy Trump is. And two, you’re Biden. You don’t want to be … trying to do too much, because you will screw it up,” he added.

Biden and Trump are scheduled to debate on June 27 and in September.

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