#Christie hits Trump for Meghan Markle comments after skipping GOP debate: ‘What a joke’

GOP presidential hopeful Chris Christie criticized former President Trump on Friday for saying he would “love” to debate Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, after skipping the first Republican debate.

“Donald Trump wants to debate Meghan Markle but not his opponents? What a joke,” Christie posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “I’m sure they’d have a great debate on Spotify.”

Trump, the current GOP frontrunner, on Wednesday was asked by radio host Hugh Hewitt if he would sit down with Prince Harry and Meghan in order to boost ratings — and he replied, “If you want to set it up, let’s set it up.”

“Let’s go do something,” the former president quipped. “I’d love to debate her. I would love it.”

Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, chose to use Trump’s comments as a way to fundraise ahead of the second GOP debate on Sept. 27. He posted a link for X users to donate to his campaign.

“Keep me on the stage for when the coward finally shows up to debate me,” he posted on X with a video from an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash.

“He says so many ridiculous things,” Christie told Bash. “I think there is absolutely no interest in either Donald Trump or Meghan Markle debating about anything.”

“If people really want to have the real issues that are concerning their lives, like inflation, our role around the world, a troubled education system, crime and law and order in our cities, debated — we need to have serious candidates on that stage,” he added.

His push for funds comes after the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced more stringent criteria for the second debate in California. Candidates will need to meet higher polling and donor thresholds.

Christie, who ran unsuccessfully against Trump in 2016, has been one of Trump’s most vocal GOP opponents. After Trump made it clear he wouldn’t attend the first debate in Milwaukee last month, the former governor called him a “certified loser.”

“Surprise, surprise…the guy who is out on bail from four jurisdictions and can’t defend his reprehensible conduct, is running scared and hiding from the debate stage,” the former New Jersey governor wrote on X, referring to the former president’s mounting legal woes. “Trump — certified loser, verified coward.”