Donald Trump: Chris Christie Neglecting 'Deeply Troubled' New Jersey While Campaigning For President
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- While Donald Trump has habitually attacked his Republican foes for president, he has taken it easy on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
That changed with a single tweet Monday.
The GOP front-runner questioned on Twitter how Christie could be running the "deeply troubled" state of New Jersey while constantly campaigning in New Hampshire.
The shot at the governor is a departure from the two outspoken candidates' otherwise cordial relationship. Trump has previously referred to Christie as "a good person," and Christie has publicly called Trump "a friend" numerous times.
Christie had not responded directly to Trump's attack as of Monday afternoon, but the criticism is nothing the governor hasn't heard before, dating back to even before he announced his candidacy. In July, two Democratic state senators proposed legislation that would require the state's governor to resign in order to run for president -- a bill that Christie would undoubtedly veto if it passed.
"The Governor has been clear that he is never disconnected from doing his job as governor," a Christie spokesman said in a statement at the time.
Trump's attack comes just as Christie has received a couple of high-profile endorsements from the New Hampshire Union Leader and Renee and Dan Plummer, who are influential GOP activists in the state.
Christie has also gained some momentum in the polls in the Granite State. According to a CBS/YouGov survey, Christie's support has jumped from 2 percent in October to 5 percent in November, although that's still well behind Trump's 32 percent.