Former New Jersey Governor and two-time GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie is criticizing President Donald Trump for his handling of the war in Iran.
As seen below on ABC News This Week, Christie analyzed Trump’s initial strategy: “The president gave us two big reasons for getting into war with Iran — regime change and the nuclear program. If we end this war with the regime not only still in place, but stronger politically, and the nuclear program still there, what did we accomplish?”
While Christie encouraged Trump to “finish the job” in Iran, he also warned against sending two real estate developers — Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was designated a “U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions” in February, and billionaire Steve Witkoff, the President’s special envoy to the Middle East — to do the negotiating.
These problems with Iran have been going on for 47 years. We need skilled negotiators with depth of historical knowledge to get a deal that makes this military action one that actually protects America’s national security.
The president sent two real estate developers. Why would… pic.twitter.com/XGOC30MvU0
— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) April 27, 2026
Christie said: “These problems with Iran have been going on for 47 years. We need skilled negotiators with depth of historical knowledge to get a deal that makes this military action one that actually protects America’s national security. The president sent two real estate developers. Why would any of us be surprised by the lack of results?”
Christie added: “The president is playing checkers, not chess.”
These problems with Iran have been going on for 47 years. We need skilled negotiators with depth of historical knowledge to get a deal that makes this military action one that actually protects America’s national security.
The president sent two real estate developers. Why would… pic.twitter.com/XGOC30MvU0
— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) April 27, 2026
Mike Korbey, who also served on Trump’s 2016 presidential transition team, replied to Christie on social media: “The US/Israeli war was unnecessary, illegal and unconstitutional. Two attacks in two years during two negotiations against a country that is absolutely no threat to the US.”
Antagonism between Christie and the Kushner family has deep roots. Christie has said Jared Kushner got him fired from the 2016 Trump presidential transition team because, 11 years earlier, Christie had prosecuted Kushner’s father, the real estate developer Charles Kushner.
[NOTE: In 2005, as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Christie got Charles Kushner to plead guilty to 18 counts, including tax evasion and witness tampering, in what Christie described as “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was U.S. attorney.”]
After Charles Kushner served his sentence of two years in prison, Trump pardoned him in 2020, and in 2025 named him U.S. Ambassador to France.