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Donald Trump gets biggest endorsement ever from New Jersey Governor Christie

Xinhua, February 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Friday endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, a surprising move that threatened to eclipse lauded debating performance on Thursday night by Republican party establishment favorite Senate Marco Rubio.

"I've been on that stage. I've gotten to know all the people on that stage. And there is no one better prepared to provide America with the strong leadership that it needs both at home and around the world than Donald Trump," said Christie, former Republican candidate who dropped his White House bid after a poor showing in New Hampshire.

The endorsement by Christie, who early on was considered to be a competitive Republican candidate, was so far the most influential one for the Republican front-runner, as Rubio continued to rack up endorsements from party establishment after the suspension of Jeb Bush's candidacy.

As a vocal critic for Rubio during his failed campaign, Christie on Friday did not shy away from questioning the electability of Rubio.

"I can guarantee you that the one person that Hillary and Bill Clinton don't want to see on that stage in September is Donald Trump," said Christie at a press conference in Texas together with Trump.

"They know how to run the standard political playbook against junior senators and run them around the block. They do not know the playbook with Donald Trump because he is rewriting the playbook," said Christie.

Though Christie called Trump "the clear standout" on stage Thursday night in the 10th Republican primary debate, last night's debate marked the first time Rubio unleashed a barrage of attacks on Trump, including the real estate's past history of hiring illegal immigrants and business ethics, etc.

Once on stage, Trump even appeared off-balance when Rubio questioned whether Trump would have been "selling watches in Manhattan", had not been his inheritance of a vast fortune.

"That is so wrong," Trump defended himself.

The acerbic tenor of Rubio's attacks reflected the panic among party establishment who were eagerly looking for a viable alternative to Trump before Super Tuesday on March 1, when 11 states would hold either primaries or caucuses on a single day, and Florida and Ohio primaries on March 15, when the winner of polls would take all delegates. Enditem