Whether he’s speaking of friend or foe, Donald Trump isn’t alwans known for taking the high road. When it comes to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is also in the running for the Republican nomination heading into the 2024 election, Trump has repeatedly focused on one thing about Christie that has nothing to do with his leadership skills: his weight.
In his most recent fatphobic post about his political rival, Trump shared a clip that’s been edited to show Christie apparently breaking a chair by sitting in it during an interview with CNN. Trump shared the clip on Truth Social early Saturday morning — which would be a surprising move for more traditional political figures, but not necessarily in Trump’s case.
This is far from the first time Trump has taken a swipe at Christie’s weight. In fact, the attack route is becoming so commonplace that Christie himself doesn’t seem too bothered about it. After Trump attacked both Christie’s polling numbers and his weight in June, the former governor commented, “Oh, like he’s some Adonis? I mean please.”
He then added that, like millions of Americans, “I continue to struggle and I continue to try to do better.” According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly one in three adults in the United States is overweight. Being overweight has no bearing on a person’s capacity to lead, be it a small team at their job or a nation, though weight bias can negatively impact a person’s ability to be promoted to leadership roles in the first place.
Trump came under fire in September 2022 and this August for similar comments about Christie.
Trump has appeared to harbor an obsession with his own weight and height over the years, which might be the reason why he can’t seem to stop criticizing the weight of his political rivals. The internet ran rife with speculation that all is not as it has been claimed after Trump was booked at Fulton County Jail in August and his self-reported height and weight were disclosed: 6’3″ and 215 pounds.
