Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is currently seeking the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, has vowed to "confront" former President Donald Trump, who is also seeking the Republican nomination, if he does not participate in the upcoming primary debate later this month.
Trump did not attend last month's Republican primary in Milwaukee hosted by Fox News and has previously stated he would not attend future primary debates citing a commanding lead over fellow Republican candidates.
Christie insisted he would run into the former president somewhere along the campaign trail during an appearance on Fox News' Media Buzz hosted by Howard Kurtz.
"I’m going to follow him around the country," Christie said. "Wherever he goes, I’ll go."
The former New Jersey governor said he would change his schedule to follow Trump around the country if he had to.
"You think I'm going to have a hard time finding Donald Trump?" Christie asked. "You think that over the course the next couple of months, I'm not going to find him and confront him someplace?"
"I was a prosecutor for seven years," he said, referencing his time as the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey between 2002 and 2008. "It was my job to find people and confront them. So don't worry about it, I'll find him."
Christie criticized the former president's absence during the first Republican primary saying Trump was "pretty much hiding in the basement."
"This is a guy who’s taking advantage of the fact that he lives behind the walls of private clubs and he has Secret Service protection," Christie continued. "If he won’t show up at debates, then that’s what we’re going to have to do."
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung responded to Christie's comments in a statement to Fox News.
"Chris Christie is a stone-cold loser who spends every day on the cable news casting couch auditioning for a contributor contract whenever his joke of a campaign ends up in flames," he said.
Shortly before last month's Republican primary debate, Trump shared a post to Truth Social saying he would not participate any of the debates.
Prior to the Aug. 23 debate, Trump's campaign advisor Chris Lacivita said the former President "already won" the debate and he would dominate the night's discussion.
The second Republican primary debate, also hosted by Fox News, will be held on Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.
