Chris Christie says he is ‘concerned’ about Trump’s mental health following ex-prez’s brutal tirade

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he was “concerned” about former President Donald Trump’s mental health — after the ex-commander in chief went on a brutal tirade against his 2024 Republican rival.

Trump, 77, blasted Christie during a radio interview Wednesday, belittling his one-time friend as a “slob,” “sloppy,” and a “crazed lunatic.”

“It’s sad. He’s under a lot of stress and a lot of pressure, and saying these things makes me really concerned for his mental health,” Christie, 61, told Newsmax’s “The Balance” Wednesday evening.

Since launching his campaign in June, Christie has positioned himself as a Trump attack dog, persistently condemning the 2024 frontrunner’s character and qualifications for another term as commander in chief.

Both Trump and Christie befriended each other in the early 2000s, during the latter’s time as US attorney for New Jersey.

But since Trump’s departure from the White House, their rapport has been less than cordial.

“He’s a slob. I call him sloppy Chris. He left the governorship of New Jersey when an 8% approval rating. He couldn’t run for dog catcher,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Wednesday.

“When he says stuff like that about somebody who supported him in 2016, prepared him for the debates with Hillary Clinton, supported him in 2020 and prepared him for the debates with Joe Biden — if I was so useless and dumb and deranged, how did all that stuff happen?” Christie responded in his Newsmax interview.

Recently, Christie has needled Trump for skipping the first GOP debate, calling him a “coward.” Trump, in turn, has cited his command polling edge as a reason to skip it.

Still, while admonishing Trump’s behavior, Christie has at times tempered his criticism.

The former Garden State governor has been critical of the 34-count Manhattan indictment against Trump over alleged hush money payments.

He also jabbed at Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis, suggesting her ego is why she lodged the 13-count indictment against Trump.

On Thursday, Christie posited that he likely would not have selected Special Counsel Jack Smith to lead the charge against Trump.

“I think there were a lot of people available to the Justice Department to select who didn’t have some of the history that Jack Smith had, and given the level of scrutiny that will be on this case. I would have wanted someone with a background that had none of the history you just referenced,” Christie told Hewitt Thursday.

Hewitt had pointed out that Smith had lost a significant Supreme Court case against Bob McDonnell and contended he “does not come across well” on television.

Christie is polling in sixth place among the 2024 GOP crowd, while Trump has a significant 38.7 percentage point lead in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate.

The 61-year-old tough talker. however, has pointed to favorable polling figures out of New Hampshire and argued there’s plenty of time left in the race to close the gap.