HOUSTON — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie endorsed Donald Trump on Friday, the highest-profile elected official to back the New York billionaire in his pursuit of the Republican presidential nomination.
"There is no better fighter than Donald Trump," Christie said during a news conference in Fort Worth, the day after rivals Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz hammered Trump during a debate in Houston.
Christie defended Trump against attacks by Rubio and Cruz, saying that "desperate people do desperate things."
Trump, who is looking to win many states during next week's Super Tuesday primaries, said he was honored by Christie's endorsement.
In explaining his decision, Christie cited his long-standing friendship with Trump and said that he has the best chance to beat Hillary Clinton in a fall election and "take on the D.C. establishment."
The stunning announcement came as Rubio and Cruz followed up on their debate attacks on Trump's business record, temperament, and proposals they declare to be unrealistic.
During an appearance in Dallas, Rubio read aloud some of Trump's critical tweets out loud, mocking for mis-spellings ("chocker for choker.")
Trump has said that Rubio sweats too much and mocked him as "Mr. Meltdown" for a poor debate performance in New Hampshire, under attack by Christie; Rubio said the New York businessman is one who struggled during Thursday night's debate.
"He had one of those sweat mustaches," Rubio said. He also said that, during a commercial break, Trump asked for a full-length mirror: "Maybe he was trying to make sure his pants weren’t wet."
Cruz, speaking to donors in Tennessee, said he "had a lot of fun" during the debate, "I think Donald Trump had a tough night."
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