The crowd at a Faith and Freedom Coalition event booed Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie after he criticized former president Donald Trump.
“Why am I running for president of the United States? I’m running because [Trump’s] let us down. He has let us down because he’s unwilling — he’s unwilling to take responsibility for any of the mistakes that were made,” Christie said during the coalition’s Road to Majority conference in Washington, D.C.
Christie pointed out that he became the first presidential candidate to back Trump in 2016 and went on to serve as chairman of his transition team.
The crowd booed and shouted as Christie continued with his remarks.
“You can boo all you want,” Christie told the attendees.
“Our faith teaches us that people have to take responsibility for what they do. People have to stand up and take accountability for what they do, and I cannot stand by,” Christie added to both boos and applause from the crowd.
The former New Jersey candidate has distinguished himself from other candidates by being more willing to criticize Trump openly.
Christie criticized the rest of the Republican presidential field earlier this month for being too “afraid” to speak out against the former president.
“How do you beat someone if you won’t talk about him? How do you beat them if you won’t distinguish yourself from them?” Christie asked during a CNN town hall.
Christie, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2016, said he and other candidates made a mistake in 2016 when they attacked each other instead of Trump.
“I will not let it happen this time. I am going to take him on directly . . . because he’s the leader,” he said. “This is what I don’t understand with the other candidates who won’t even say his name. I watched that Joni Ernst Roast and Ride. It was like [Trump] was Voldemort from Harry Potter. Nobody wanted to mention his name.”
“They’re afraid of him. Look what he does,” Christie said, adding that “The only thing he understands is coming right at him and making your case.”
Trump is by far the frontrunner in the race. He is leading the crowded Republican field at 52.2 percent, according to a RealClearPolitics polling average. Florida governor Ron DeSantis is in a distant second at 21.4 percent, while Christie sits in sixth with 2.3 percent.