'He Thought He Lost': Donald Trump Doesn't 'Even Believe' His Own Election Lies, Chris Christie Claims

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said that President Donald Trump’s incessant spin that he won the 2020 election against President Joe Biden was “make-believe” and that he knew he lost.

Speaking at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government on Monday, April 6, the former Trump ally was asked whether he believed America would have free and fair midterm elections in November, following Trump’s freshly signed executive order attempting to restrict mail-in voting despite lacking the authority to do so, and despite just doing so himself in a local Palm Beach, Fla., election.

The 79-year-old POTUS has alleged baseless, widespread voter fraud leading up to and following the 2020 U.S. presidential election, which was widely debunked.

Trump, the first president to never concede to his opponent, used this allegation of fraud as justification to try multiple times to subvert the election results and remain in office.

Christie, however, didn’t buy what Trump was spewing and said that the country will continue to experience free and fair elections because allegations of voter fraud were, as the POTUS loves to call things, fake news.

“We’ve never not had them, so we will have them again,” Christie said. “The c--- that Donald Trump put out there about the 2020 election is fiction. It’s make-believe. And by the way, I was there in 2020. He doesn’t even believe it. He didn’t believe it. He thought he lost. And he was afraid he was gonna lose all during that fall. So, it’s all a bunch of make-believe stuff.”

A federal grand jury indicted Trump on four counts related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in 2023— conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.

The indictment laid out the case against Trump and allies who aided him in his unsuccessful effort to hold on to power even after losing the 2020 presidential election by 74 votes in the Electoral College and by more than 7 million in the popular vote to Biden.

These federal charges were dismissed in January 2025 following Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

Christie, a former ally who helped Trump prepare for the 2020 debates, broke from him on election night after Trump claimed the election was stolen.

The former New Jersey governor described this as a "disqualifying moment" and stated that "Trump left me, I didn’t leave him.”

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Christie called Trump a "liar and a coward," highlighting his legal indictments and GOP debate absences.

Trump has heavily criticized his former pal, calling him a "slob" and "Sloppy Chris," while mocking his weight and eating habits.

The petty POTUS also threatened to reopen investigations into the "Bridgegate" scandal — Christie intentionally closed lanes on the George Washington Bridge to create traffic gridlock, punishing Fort Lee's mayor for not endorsing his reelection — alleging the governor "got away with murder" and lied.