The publisher of New Hampshire’s largest newspaper, the Union Leader, wrote Monday that it was wrong to endorse former Republican presidential candidate New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in light of his embrace of Donald Trump.
“Boy, were we wrong,” publisher Joseph McQuaid wrote in an editorial titled “Christie was our bad choice.” McQuaid explained that the paper initially thought Christie would have “the best chance” of taking down the Republican presidential frontrunner.
“Watching Christie kiss the Donald’s ring this weekend—and make excuses for the man Christie himself had said was unfit for the presidency—demonstrated how wrong we were,” he wrote. “Rather than standing up to the bully, Christie bent his knee. In doing so, he rejected the very principles of his campaign that attracted our support.”
Christie endorsed Trump last week, despite previously telling McQuaid that he wouldn’t do so.
The newspaper has long criticized Trump’s campaign, calling him “a crude blowhard with no clear political philosophy.” Nevertheless, Trump won the New Hampshire primary last month with 35.34 percent of the votes.
Trump dismissed McQuaid last year as Christie’s “lap dog.”
