Former President Donald Trump has tapped a former staffer of then-Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s unsuccessful 2016 presidential bid to lead his efforts in New Hampshire in 2024.
Politico reported that Trevor Naglieri, who served as a field coordinator for Bush in 2016, will get an even higher position for Trump’s third presidential campaign: New Hampshire state director.
While Trump handily won the New Hampshire primary in 2016, he lost the state in the general election in both 2016 and 2020.
The move by the former president to hire a former Bush campaign hand comes after Trump has repeatedly claimed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is a part of the Republican Party establishment and sought to tie DeSantis to Bush and former House Speaker Paul Ryan.
The New Hampshire presidential primary, which takes place Feb. 13, 2024, is the nation’s first primary and the second party contest, after the Iowa caucuses. Although New Hampshire is a small state, its primary is seen as a critical chance for candidates to build momentum for their campaigns.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie suggested to an audience at St. Anselm’s College in New Hampshire on Monday that he may enter the 2024 presidential race to torpedo Trump.
Christie campaigned in New Hampshire more than any other GOP candidate in 2016 and was blown out there, leading him to suspend his campaign.
“You better have somebody on that stage who can do to him what I did to Marco because that’s the only thing that’s gonna defeat Donald Trump,” Christie said in reference to him going hard after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) during the debates. “And that means you gotta have the skill to do it and that means you have to be fearless because he will come back and right at you.”
Christie said that “it’s not gonna end nicely” and Trump’s “end will not be a calm and quiet conclusion.”
“And so, if I run again, I can’t imagine that I would continue to do it the same way,” he added. “But this time if I run, I would just hope that you come to a better conclusion than you did the last time.”
Mediaite reported that Christie’s remarks “elicited laughs from the crowd.”