'It Makes Him a Martyr': Chris Christie Gets Into Heated Debate with Sunny Hostin Over Taking Donald Trump Off the Ballot on 'The View'

GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie appeared on ABC's "The View" on Wednesday, January 3, to discuss his campaign and the attacks on former President Donald Trump.

During his time on the show, Christie engaged in a heated debate with co-host Sunny Hostin regarding whether Trump should be removed from the ballot due to his support for the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

The argument centered around the constitutional precedent for removing individuals involved in an insurrection from the ballot.

Christie told the co-host, "I'm trying to be practical about this, Sunny ... If, in fact, we take him off the ballot and he doesn't have a chance to run, I think it's going to cause conflict in this country well beyond what we have now."

"Elections in a democracy are supposed to resolve conflict. So let’s resolve the conflict," he continued. "Let’s defeat him. And this is my problem with Nikki Haley. She doesn’t want to take him on directly. And so let’s have people who are willing to take him on directly, and let’s have the people of the United States defeat him at the polls. And then there’s not going to be an argument."

Whoopi Goldberg told the former New Jersey governor that his supporters will say the law "doesn't apply" to everyone.

"They won’t say that Whoopi when they convict him after that and send him to jail," Christie replied.

Goldberg shot back, "If that happens!"

“Well, when Mark Meadows stands up and testifies again. Look, his former chief of staff decides an immunity deal. Now, I did this for seven years, as you know,” Christie added. "No one takes immunity unless they’ve committed crimes. All right, so Meadows is now going to say I’ve committed a crime at his direction, and he committed crimes in front of me."

"This is not some left-winger accusing him. This is a founder of the Freedom Caucus who was his chief of staff."

“What happens if he’s in the Oval Office?” Hostin asked the former governor.

“Well, if he’s in the Oval Office, he’s going to direct his attorney general to dismiss the charge,” Christie conceded.

“Then why not take him out now? Under the Constitution?” Hostin continued to ask.

"Because Sunny, it makes him a martyr," the presidential hopeful explained.

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Christie expressed his belief in democracy and the American people's ability to recognize the truth. He pointed to the 2020 election, where, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American people saw through the difficulties and voted for Joe Biden.

Christie concluded by stating that he has confidence in the people of this country and their ability to make the right choice.

According to Real Clear Politics, Trump continues to pull ahead of Biden in a general election head-to-head. The former president is currently polling at 46.5%, 2.2 points ahead of Biden at 44.3%.