NEW HAMPSHIRE - Former governor of New Jersey Chris Christie suspended his presidential campaign on Jan 10, but he undermined his effort to stop Donald Trump when he sweepingly dismissed his Republican rivals during a hot-mic moment.

Minutes before his announcement in Windham, New Hampshire, Mr Christie could be heard on the event’s live streaming, saying: “She’s going to get smoked, and you and I both know it”, in a reference to Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor.

“He’s not up to this”, he said of Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida. “DeSantis called me, petrified.”

Trump immediately seized on the remarks, writing on Truth Social that Mr Christie’s comments about Ms Haley, who appears to be the most significant obstacle to a Trump victory in New Hampshire, were a “very truthful statement”.

In his speech, Mr Christie did not endorse any of his rivals, nor did he address their prospects against Trump, dashing the hopes of Republican moderates that his exit would unify remaining members of the party who oppose Mr Trump.

In fact, Mr Christie denounced his opponents’ long-running public deference to the former president and offered no positive remarks about their candidacies.

“I would rather lose by telling the truth than lie in order to win,” he said. “And I feel no differently today, because this is a fight for the soul of our party and the soul of our country.”

His departure, which came after mounting pressure from within his party, effectively ends a phase of the Republican presidential contest, removing from the field its most aggressive Trump opponent and the only prominent contender who had argued that Trump was unfit for office – a contention that all but doomed his candidacy from the start.

Despite Mr Christie’s withering criticisms of his rivals, his decision could turn the primary election in New Hampshire on Jan 23 into a two-person race between Mr Trump and Ms Haley.

Her positions on foreign policy, national security and the rule of law broadly overlap with Mr Christie’s, and she will hope to consolidate never-Trump Republicans and independents behind her.

After Mr Christie’s speech, Ms Haley praised him as “a friend for many years”, commending him in a statement “on a hard-fought campaign” but making no reference to the hot-mic comments. “I will fight to earn every vote,” she said.

On Jan 10, Mr DeSantis had called Mr Christie to express his appreciation for his role in the contest, according to two people with knowledge of the call. During their conversation, Mr Christie mocked Ms Haley and said she was not up to the task, the people said.

Mr DeSantis wrote on social media Jan 10, “I agree with Christie that Nikki Haley is ‘going to get smoked.’”

Recent polls have shown Ms Haley narrowing the gap against Trump in New Hampshire, and her backing combined with Mr Christie’s support has sometimes equalled or bettered the former president’s. A CNN/University of New Hampshire poll released on Jan 9 found Trump with 39 per cent support, Mr Haley with 32 per cent and Mr Christie with 12 per cent.

Mr Christie, a former US attorney, built his candidacy around a prosecutorial argument about his domineering rival’s unsuitability for office. He steadfastly refused to water down his denunciations of Trump, a one-time ally turned bitter antagonist, even as most of his rivals laboured to find a middle ground of praise and subtle contrasts.

That bold stance, and Republican voters’ lack of tolerance for it, left Mr Christie trailing far behind in polls and fundraising, managing to grab a foothold only in independent-minded New Hampshire.

Yet the former governor regularly found himself in the shadow of Ms Haley in the Granite State during the closing months of the campaign, with Governor Chris Sununu endorsing Ms Haley in December and later calling on Mr Christie to withdraw from the race.

For weeks, Mr Christie rebuffed any suggestion that he should drop out, stressing the argument that his role as Mr Trump’s chief critic in a dwindling Republican field was vital.

As recently as Jan 9, he spoke at length about his reasons for forging ahead.

“Let’s say I dropped out of the race right now, and I supported Nikki Haley,” he said. “And then three months from now, four months from now, we get ready to go to the convention. She comes out and is his vice president. What would it look like? What will all the people who supported her at my behest look like when she’s up on a stage in Milwaukee with her hands up like this with Donald Trump?”

Some of Mr Christie’s supporters expressed disappointment after his event on Jan 9. Hillsborough County commissioner Toni Pappas from Manchester, New Hampshire, was one of them, but said: “I think he did something very noble and patriotic.”

Self-described libertarian Tom Barton from Washington, New Hampshire, who planned to vote for Mr Christie, said he could not see himself supporting another Republican. “They don’t have the courage to tell the truth about Trump,” he said. NYTIMES