Gov. Chris Christie stands on stage with Kellyanne Conway during the election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images Trump win gives Christie a lifeline

JERSEY CITY — Gov. Chris Christie had one way out of the doldrums of New Jersey politics and back to being a national political player.

Donald Trump.


The last two months have arguably been the worst of Christie’s career. Testimony in the Bridgegate trial undermined the governor’s claims about what he knew about the George Washington Bridge access lane closures when they were happening. He signed a gas tax increase that sparked backlash on the right, including from his usually loyal lieutenant governor. And his approval rating fell to 20 percent, nearing the worst in recent memory for a sitting governor.

But Donald Trump’s upset victory changed everything. Christie was one of Trump's first mainstream Republican supporters, and the first former presidential candidate to back him.

In an interview with Charlie Rose that aired Monday morning, Christie said “I can’t tell you how many times my political career was over. Here I am.”

And there he was in the wee hours of Wednesday, standing next to Donald Trump during his victory speech in New York.

Responding to an email the morning after election about Christie's possible future in a Trump administration, Christie confidant Bill Palatucci wrote, “Did you not see him on stage last night?”

Christie’s visibility in the Trump campaign waned in the election's final months. The governor distanced himself from Trump’s comments about groping women, and dropped surrogate appearances for Trump after the controversy. He was scheduled to campaign for Trump in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania during the final weekend before the election, but those events were canceled. And on Election Day, Christie went to cast his vote just after 6:00 am — doing so for the first time without telling reporters in advance.

“Despite all your snarky reporter comments, he remains close with President-elect Trump,” wrote Palatucci, who serves the Christie-led Trump transition team.

Palatucci wouldn’t speculate about what jobs Christie could be up for. For months the governor been floated as a potential attorney general, though Bridgegate fallout — including a citizen’s criminal complaint that is currently making its way through the courts — could jeopardize his Senate confirmation to be the nation’s law enforcement officer.

Christie is also reportedly in the mix for at least two other cabinet positions: commerce secretary and homeland security secretary.

Trump likes loyalty, said Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University.

“It’s a tension between Trump’s loyalty and love of people who are totally loyal — and Christie falls into that category — versus the potential problems a Christie appointment would have given everything that’s happened with the Bridgegate trial,” Zelizer said.

There are plenty of top White House or party positions that would not require Senate confirmation. There’s been speculation that Christie would be a good fit for RNC chairman if Reince Priebus takes another job, having led the Republican Governors Association through a successful 2014 cycle. And Christie has been floated for White House chief of staff before.

Still, Zelizer didn’t rule out a cabinet nomination for Christie because “Trump is not someone who shies away from controversy himself or controversial figures.”

“If there’s any way to get around the baggage he brings, I’m sure Trump will want to bring him on,” he said.

