Trump’s well timed Christie endorsement could be a game-changer

– Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio on Friday called front-runner Donald Trump a “con artist”, pledging to expose the real estate mogul and pressure him to reveal his finances.

“Trump does have a dominating presence in NY and New Jersey”, said state Senator Mike Doherty (R-23).

Christie, the blunt-talking governor of New Jersey, dropped out of the presidential race two weeks ago, after a disappointing sixth-place finish in the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary.

“This was an endorsement that really meant a lot”, he said, calling Christie an “outstanding man” and adding, “This is the one endorsement that I felt very strongly about I wanted to get”.

The endorsement by Christie, who early on was considered to be a competitive Republican candidate, was so far the most influential one for the Republican front-runner, as Rubio continued to rack up endorsements from party establishment after the suspension of Jeb Bush’s candidacy. “I think it is time to take the mask off of this guy”, Rubio asserted.

“I think Marco Rubio understands that the USA has a major role to play in the world”, he said. His surprise appearance alongside Trump in Fort Worth served as Round 2 against Rubio, who had hoped to ride a wave of momentum into “Super Tuesday” next week after aggressively taking down Trump on Thursday night. But he said he doesn’t anticipate voting for Trump or Texas U.S. Sen.

Christie made the endorsement the day after Rubio’s best debate performance, muting his long-awaited and damaging attacks against the billionaire businessman Trump on such issues as immigration, foreign policy and hiring practices. And neither candidate held back when it came to their opinions of each other. Then he asked for a full-length mirror, I don’t know why because the podium goes up to here. Ted Cruz is at 10 percent, followed by John Kasich at 8 percent and Ben Carson at 5 percent.

I would have thought a guy like Christie, who’s cut his teeth not only as a governor but also as a federal prosecutor, would have scoffed at both Trump’s rhetoric and his qualificiations.