“Christie’s Defiance Splinters Anti-Trump Movement

The anti-Trump movement in the United States is facing growing divisions following Chris Christie’s refusal to bow out despite growing pressure. The New Jersey governor, who has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, has come under attack from some whoback claims that his continued presence in the movement is causing splintering of forces. Christie has responded defiantly to the accusations, pointing out that he was a major force behind the organization of “The Lincoln Project” – an organization that was set up to support and boost Democrats in their challenge to the President in November. He has argued that his continued involvement is helping to keep the focus of the anti-Trump effort on key issues, such as economic justice, racial equity, and healthcare reform – rather than allowing itself to be distracted by personality or political squabbles. However, Christie has been roundly chastised by a number of prominent figures within the movement, including former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and California representative and prominent Trump critic John Garamendi. Both have been sent letters arguing that any future success for the movement will require unity – something that would be impossible to attain as long as Christie continues to present himself as part and parcel of it. Although the anti-Trump movement remains fractured, it should not be forgotten that it has achieved a number of important successes in recent times including the removal of Steve Bannon from the White House, a decreased level of support for the President amongst key voting groups, and the launch of impeachment proceedings. For the moment at least, it appears that Christie will continue to ignore the pleas of his detractors and lead the movement back towards a strong focus on the issues that are of most importance rather than just personality clashes. The future success of the anti-Trump movement may depend on it.