Chris Christie and President Donald Trump just can’t quit each other.

Although the former New Jersey governor was fired from running Trump’s transition two days after Trump’s upset 2016 victory, the two have remained in close touch — and since Christie joined ABC News as a commentator, the president has made a habit of calling him after the Sunday morning news shows to congratulate or critique him, according to two people close to Christie.


With Trump’s senior staff constantly in flux — and a major shakeup expected after the midterms, as Trump’s reelection campaign takes shape — 10 current and former administration aides, Republicans close to the White House and people close to Christie say Christie is putting himself in a prime position to land a plum job in the administration.

The president loves to hire people who go on TV to defend him — most recently naming former CNBC commentator Larry Kudlow as his economic adviser and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as a member of his legal team — and Christie stands to benefit from being a familiar figure to a president who likes to surround himself with friends.

“One can never completely dismiss the idea since the relationship between the president and the governor goes back before either was in elective office,” said Bill Palatucci, former general counsel to the Trump transition under Christie and chairman of Christie’s 2013 reelection campaign. “They still talk often, which reflects the trust and personal relationship between the two.”

Christie has been mentioned as a potential replacement for chief of staff John Kelly, whose relationship with the president has recently grown strained, but it’s unclear whether Christie would be willing to work in the West Wing, with its reputation for chaos. The people close to Christie said he also would not work in a White House alongside Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, who advocated for firing him from the transition after Trump’s surprise 2016 victory.

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But some Republicans close to the White House think that Trump will want to fire Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions — who has been a target of Trump’s anger over special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s interaction with Russian operatives in 2016 and possible obstruction of justice since — after the midterms and put someone else in charge of the Department of Justice. That would potentially pave the way for Christie to be tapped as attorney general, the job friends and allies say he wanted all along.

“Christie has always said there will be a 2.0 to the Trump administration once you get through the first two years. And he’s kept his options open, post-gubernatorial, by not becoming affiliated with any big law firm and by giving speeches and getting a TV contract, which keeps him relevant,” said one Republican lobbyist close to both the White House and Christie.

The president likes Christie’s TV chops, much the way he appreciates the savviness displayed by Giuliani, new national security adviser John Bolton or retired Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, a frequent TV defender for Trump amid the escalating Russia probe.

“Christie has operated in the tri-state area with the media and keeps on ticking, just as Trump did for years. They are cut from the same battle-tested media cloth,” added the Republican lobbyist close to the White House and Christie. “That is why Giuliani is where he is in that orbit. Christie is also viewed in the same light.”

The president and Christie, who attended Trump’s 2005 Mar-a-Lago wedding to Melania, have a relationship dating back more than 16 years. The president remains grateful that Christie endorsed him early on during the campaign and helped to run his debate preparation during his general-election battle with Hillary Clinton, said one administration official and one former White House aide.

At a Christmas party for Cabinet members at the White House in December, Christie and Trump’s continued closeness was on display for all to see.

After giving remarks, Trump called out to Christie and his wife, Mary Pat, urging them to step over the blue ropes and join him on the stairs, which required telling Secret Service to let them through, according to one of the people close to Christie. Then, together with Melania, they ascended up into the White House residence, where they stayed for 20 or 30 minutes to look around and catch up.

People close to Christie say the ex-governor has also been vindicated by the questions he raised during the transition over the vetting process, problems that continue to plague the West Wing, as well as his opposition to putting Michael Flynn in the White House as the national security adviser.

The White House press office did not respond to a request for comment.

The White House is under fire this week for Trump’s hasty pick of White House physician Ronny Jackson to oversee the Department of Veterans Affairs, and it faces a tough confirmation battle for Gina Haspel, who’s been tapped to succeed Mike Pompeo as CIA director if Pompeo is confirmed this week as secretary of state.

But administration officials say Christie, too, could face a tough confirmation battle, if Trump ever tapped him for a Cabinet post — a reality that could keep him on the sidelines.

“If we are going to have a hard time confirming a career CIA officer to be the first female director because she was too tough on terrorists, we’d have trouble with Chris Christie,” said one administration official.

Christie, in his final years as governor, was dogged by scandal surrounding the closure of lanes on the George Washington Bridge, a political stunt aimed at damaging a Democrat who refused to endorse Christie’s 2013 reelection bid. Christie has said he knew nothing about the plot, which resulted in the conviction of two Christie aides.

Christie ended 2017 with a low approval rating as the New Jersey governor, and after eight years in office, just 5 percent of the New Jersey public said it would miss him — a blow to a politician once considered a rising star in the Republican establishment.

As a TV commentator, Christie has addressed everything from the vetting of potential staff to the Mueller investigation to former FBI Director James Comey’s new book to the fate of the EPA secretary. Although he usually defends the president, he doesn’t always parrot White House talking points, as other Trump surrogates do.

Christie recently urged Trump on TV not to fire Mueller and allow the investigation to take its course. He also recently singled out Scott Pruitt, the embattled EPA administrator, saying he didn’t see politically how Pruitt could survive a spate of bad headlines. So far, Trump has maintained his support for Pruitt.

Some former Trump officials said it’s not clear whether the president would appreciate Christie’s candor as much in the West Wing as he likes watching it on TV.

“Trump enjoys Christie’s company and likes some of his insights, but this is a guy who would become Icarus within one week,” said one former administration official, referring to a common administration trope about aides who fall out of favor after flying too high.

Trump has frequently subjected Christie to indignities, despite their longtime friendship. On Super Tuesday, in Palm Beach, Florida, Christie awkwardly and blankly stood behind Trump as he declared victory. So strange were Christie’s posture and facial expressions that observers likened the scene to a hostage video, spurring the hashtag #FreeChrisChristie.

At a May 2016 fundraiser in New Jersey, Christie’s home state, of all places, Trump joked that Christie was not allowed to eat Oreos anymore, a stab at the governor’s weight.

“Christie does not take too much of that stuff personally, as others might,” said another Republican close to him. “Trump is all about Donald Trump. You have to understand that, and Christie and his wife have been friends with Donald and Melania for years even before Christie was governor. It’s more than just a political relationship.”

