Rendell: Christie Take A Huge Risk With Trump Endorsement
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Former Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell thinks New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is taking a serious gamble with his endorsement of Donald Trump for President that will either pay off with a prestigious appointment in the next administration or leave him ostracized from the Republican Party.
Rendell, during an interview with Rich Zeoli on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, said the upside for being the first major endorsement Trump received could reap huge dividends.
"He's rolling the dice here. If Donald Trump becomes the nominee and becomes President, I think Chris Christie will have a major role in the Trump administration...Chris Christie was the first major figure from the, so-called, establishment wing of the Republican party that climbed on board the Trump bandwagon.''
However, he thinks that if Trump loses, Christie's political career will suffer a tremendous blow.
"Let's assume Hillary were to win the Presidency. Chris is young enough that he could mount another campaign four years from now...But I think this will really hurt him with donors. I think he's gambling that Donald Trump becomes President because I think he really hurt his chances of being a viable candidate in 2020."
Regarding Trump's electoral chances in Pennsylvania, Rendell sees a difficult road ahead for the controversial billionaire candidate.
"I think it would be very hard for him. Although, he does have crossover appeal and there is no question there are those, so-called, Reagan Democrats, the blue-collar, white, working class Democrats, some of whom are going to find Donald Trump's appeal to be irresistible and they're going to vote for him, for every one of those, I think he's going to lose two suburban Republican votes in suburban Pittsburgh and suburban Philadelphia and in the Lehigh Valley. He's going to lose those voters, simply because they're not going to like him."
