ABC News is suspending its relationship with Chris Christie in light of his reportedly imminent announcement that he is once again running for president, a spokesperson confirms to Media Matters.

He leaves ABC News – at least temporarily – after having used the platform to remake his image in the eyes of elite media. 

To wit, the Axios announcement of the campaign launch cites Christie’s team to describe the ex-New Jersey governor as “a happy warrior who speaks his mind, takes risks and is happy to punch Donald Trump in the nose.”

Anyone framing Christie’s run as such is deliberately overlooking years of obsequiousness to Trump.

As Simon Maloy observed reviewing Christie’s book Let Me Finish in 2019, after Christie had already become an ABC News contributor, “When Christie endorsed Trump for the presidency in February 2016, his political future looked bleak: His own presidential campaign had foundered, his top aides were under indictment in the Bridgegate scandal, his approval rating at home was in the low thirties (on its way to bottoming out in the mid-teens), and the pundit class (once his most reliable constituency) was no longer marveling at the size of his shoulders. Getting behind Trump early was Christie’s longshot bid at staying politically relevant.”

And indeed, Christie used his perch at ABC News to defend Trump, especially at critical moments. He gave Trump’s final State of the Union an A-plus. When Trump at a debate told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” Christie defended the remarks. After the election, multiple Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy charges related to their role in the January 6 attack. Days before the 2020 election, Christie also assured ABC News viewers that Trump would concede the election if he lost. Whoops. Months after the January 6 attacks, Christie even showed up on Fox News to attack then-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) for standing up to Trump.

Christie leaves ABC News where he was when he joined: As one of the least popular politicians in America, while the elite media obsesses about his quixotic run for president.