MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie wasted no time going after Donald Trump while launching his presidential campaign on Tuesday, calling the former president and current Republican primary front-runner a "lonely, self-consumed, self-serving mirror hog" and arguing that he's the only one who can stop him.
Christie began his run with a town hall in New Hampshire. The former governor and federal prosecutor ran for president and lost to Trump in 2016 and went on to become a close off-and-on adviser before breaking with the former president over his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election.
Now that Trump is trying again for the White House, Christie is out to do everything in his power to deny him. After criticizing other Republican primary rivals for being afraid to directly challenge Trump, Christie made clear that he had no such concerns.
"The person I am talking about, who is obsessed with the mirror, who never admits a mistake, who never admits a fault, who always finds someone else and something else to blame for whatever goes wrong -- but finds every reason to take credit for anything that goes right -- is Donald Trump," he told a small, mostly friendly crowd at Saint Anselm College.
"A lonely, self-consumed, self-serving mirror hog is not a leader," Christie said, saying Trump "made us smaller by dividing us even further and pitting us one against the other."
But he also said President Joe Biden "is doing the same thing, just on the other side." He noted that he'd known Biden for decades and said the president is "out of his depth" because "he's not the guy he used to be," referencing the 80-year-old Biden's advanced age.
But Christie's chief target was Trump.
"There's a big argument in our country right now about whether character matters, and we have leaders who have shown us over and over again that not only are they devoid of character, they don't care." Christie said. "We can't dismiss the question of character anymore, everybody. If we do, we get what we deserve, and we will have to own it."
Christie enters a growing primary field that already includes Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, among others. Former Vice President Mike Pence will be formally launching his own campaign in Iowa today.
During his time as governor, Christie established a reputation as a fighter with a knack for creating viral moments of confrontation. But he faces an uphill battle to the nomination in a party that remains closely aligned with the former president, despite Trump's reelection loss in 2020 and Republicans' poorer-than-expected showing in the 2022 midterm elections.
Information for this article was contributed by Will Weissert of The Associated Press.
Republican Presidential candidate former, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addresses a gathering, Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Manchester, N.H. Christie filed paperwork Tuesday formally launching his bid for the Republican nomination for president after casting himself as the only candidate willing to directly take on former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Republican Presidential candidate former, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addresses a gathering, Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Manchester, N.H. Christie filed paperwork Tuesday formally launching his bid for the Republican nomination for president after casting himself as the only candidate willing to directly take on former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Republican Presidential candidate former, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gestures during a gathering, Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Manchester, N.H. Christie filed paperwork Tuesday formally launching his bid for the Republican nomination for president after casting himself as the only candidate willing to directly take on former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Republican Presidential candidate former, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie waves to guests during his introduction at a gathering, Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Manchester, N.H. Christie filed paperwork Tuesday formally launching his bid for the Republican nomination for president after casting himself as the only candidate willing to directly take on former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Republican Presidential candidate former, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie smiles during a gathering, Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Manchester, N.H. Christie filed paperwork Tuesday formally launching his bid for the Republican nomination for president after casting himself as the only candidate willing to directly take on former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Supporters of former President Donald Trump gather outside an event for Republican Presidential candidate, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Manchester, N.H. Christie filed paperwork Tuesday formally launching his bid for the Republican nomination for president after casting himself as the only candidate willing to directly take on former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Republican Presidential candidate former, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gestures during a gathering, Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Manchester, N.H. Christie filed paperwork Tuesday formally launching his bid for the Republican nomination for president after casting himself as the only candidate willing to directly take on former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)