On the same day that Barack and Michelle Obama were enchanting social media into a nostalgic bliss with their messages of love, President Trump was humiliating a degraded and rejected partner whose affection he once delicately courted. No, we’re not talking about Melania. We’re talking about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, of course.
It was already an awkward threesome. And not the kind Trump likes bragging about on leaked Access Hollywood footage clips. Christie, his wife Mary Pat and Trump were all dining together at the White House. Melania was not present. A gracious Trump told everyone at the table to order whatever they wanted. Well, except for his good pal Chris Christie, that is.
“This is what it’s like to be with Trump,” Christie said while guest hosting a New Jersey radio program on Thursday. “He says, ‘There’s the menu, you guys order whatever you want.’ And then he says, ‘Chris, you and I are going to have the meatloaf. I’m telling you, the meatloaf is fabulous.’”
That’s right, Trump doesn’t even let Christie order his own food. To put the radical decsent of Christie’s fortunes into context, let’s look at the timeline:
During the Republican debates, an already diminished Christie does Trump a huge favor by crushing Marco Rubio, effectively clearing Trump’s biggest obstacle to the nomination.
That assist brought Christie into the heart of Trump’s inner circle, with the governor appearing by Trump’s side during the general election campaign and emerging as a vice presidential frontrunner.
When he was passed over for that post, prospects still seemed bright for Christie, who then took over as director of the White House transition team and was poised for a number of powerful cabinet posts ranging from Attorney General to head of Homeland Security after Trump won.
But then a personal conflict resurfaced between Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner and Christie. Years ago while serving as a U.S. attorney, Christie went after Kushner’s father for tax evasion and illegal campaign contributions. The younger Kushner used the opportunity settle the score by reportedly having his father take Christie out of the VP mix.
It was almost painful watching Christie’s stature rapidly diminish. And just when it seemed like the humiliation was finally over, here he was, seeking some redemptive affirmation over a Valentine’s Day dinner with the most powerful man in the world telling him what he can and can’t eat.
But hey, at least he’s finally getting a fancy White House job for all of his troubles, right?
To quote the Associated Press:
“He said he didn't talk with Trump about any jobs.”