Stomping Grounds: Donald Trump, Chris Christie, N.J. press corps, and the Mets

New Jerseyans aren’t always civil, but it’s still possible for a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican to have a rational and pleasant conversation about politics in the state.  Dan Bryan is a former senior advisor to Gov. Phil Murphy and is now the owner of his own public affairs firm, and Alex Wilkes is an attorney and former executive director of America Rising PAC who advises Republican candidates in New Jersey and across the nation.  Dan and Alex are both experienced strategists who are currently in the room where high-level decisions are made.  They will get together weekly with New Jersey Globe editor David Wildstein to discuss politics and issues.

New Jersey Globe: All of America’s oxygen seems to be centered around Donald Trump, and it seems as though everybody has an opinion.  What’s yours?

Dan Bryan: My take: Donald Trump is a malignant threat to our country, our democracy, and our national security. He is a liar, a racist, a narcissist, and a coward. He treats his hardcore fan base like idiots, fleecing them for everything they’re worth. And he treats everyone who doesn’t support him with contempt.

We survived one term of President Trump, but I don’t know if we’d survive a second. The Republican Party has to pull themselves together and nominate someone else. Anyone else.

Alex Wilkes: I think from a legal perspective, the charges presented in this indictment are far more serious than the nonsense that Alvin Bragg put us all through a few weeks ago. While going after a former president and current candidate is certainly unprecedented, the underlying offenses are fairly ordinary and backed up by voluminous case law.

Of course, though, it is impossible to look at this situation through a completely apolitical lens given who he is. The same was true, by the way, in 2016 when FBI Director James Comey opened that door with respect to Hillary Clinton; love her or hate her, there was a visceral reaction to any action from the Department of Justice at that time.

What I’m hearing a lot from the left is that there is no crime on the books for “whataboutism,” and while that’s certainly true, I think that my friends across the aisle miss the point: it’s impossible to divorce the political and legal realities when dealing with figures of this stature. Gerald Ford understood this when he made the controversial – and ultimately correct – decision to pardon President Nixon.

The charges against President Trump are serious and worth the attention and consideration of every American, but you don’t have to be a fan of him to be concerned about why similar action wasn’t taken against Hillary Clinton, for example, who quite literally took hammers to destroy evidence that she had used a private server locked in a bathroom closet that had been compromised by foreign agents. The disparity breeds distrust and suspicion that should frustrate anyone who truly cares about justice being served equally and impartially.

NJ Globe: The mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, entered the presidential race this week.  And Chris Christie is running.  Is there room in the Republican Party for an out-of-nowhere upset?

Alex: I think it would be unwise to count out anyone given the political volatility we’ve seen in our electorate over the past decade. Don’t forget: in terms of the political upset timeline, June of the off year marks the famous descent on the golden escalator at Trump Tower. Go back further, and you’ll find an obscure Illinois State Senator named Barack Obama who wowed the crowd at the Democratic nominating convention a full four years before he would one day take the stage in his own right as the nominee.

I might be a little biased, but I think most people are far more interested in the excitement a Republican primary will bring as opposed to the Democrats’ upcoming snoozefest. No debates, no competition (allowed), no new talent, and Joe Biden convalescing in the basement during bankers’ hours. Come on, man: this newborn mom is going to need something more exciting to keep me awake at night for the rest of the year. I’m counting on my fellow Republicans to bring the debate and ideas.

Dan: I don’t think there’s room for a lesser candidate to emerge. If Donald Trump somehow doesn’t win the nomination, it’s hard to see anyone catching up with Governor DeSantis. He has over $100 million in the bank, and he’s leading the other contenders by a wide margin. Though Trump’s downfall may open up enough space for another candidate or two to make it interesting, I don’t think anyone catches up with DeSantis.

There are some other interesting candidates in the race, but I don’t think there is oxygen in the room for anyone other than Trump and DeSantis.

NJ Globe: I can’t help but notice that New Jersey’s much-depleted press corps seems to be fixated on Donald Trump; I saw one daily newspaper reporter on Twitter complain that he had to get to Bedminster seven hours early just to hear Trump speak.  Do we really need local press covering national politics instead of local government and elections?

Dan: In theory, they’d cover both. Trump clearly gets the media clicks and eyeballs – it’s one of the reasons he did so well in 2016. So I’m not surprised to see the New Jersey press cover a major event of his which is held in New Jersey.

But their lack of coverage in state legislative races this year is inexcusable (for transparency, I advise the Assembly and State Senate campaign committees). If you got your news solely from the state press corps, you wouldn’t even know we have an important election this November, much less who’s running and on what issues. I know that their answer is that those stories aren’t profitable, but media scrutiny is a critical pillar of any election! The New Jersey media market has to step their coverage up.

Alex: : Yes, I would love to see our local reporters offer greater depth to issues that affect our day-to-day lives here, as opposed to national issues – and particularly Donald Trump – that are covered ad nauseam by better-funded national counterparts.

In complete fairness to our local guys, however, the nexus between the rapidly unfolding legal situation involving the former President and our very own humble Township of Bedminster does make this a uniquely New Jersey story. I mean how often do we get alleged violations of the Espionage Act taking place at dining room tables in Somerset County?

NJ Globe: Chris Christie made his case for the presidency at a CNN Town Hall meeting this week.  How did he do?

Alex: I think it’s impossible to watch that Town Hall and not conclude that the former Governor continues to be one of the most gifted political communicators of our time. In fairness, Joe Biden and Phil “I didn’t think about the Bill of Rights” Murphy set the bar lower and lower every day, but I think regardless of your politics, you have to appreciate his ability to stand up and take questions from a live audience with aplomb at a time when our political discourse feels so stilted. Again, like I said before, I think it’s impossible to rule anyone out. I still have whiplash from sitting a few rows back in Cleveland at the first Republican debate in 2015 and watching Donald Trump destroy norms and political figures I had admired for years in the span of 2 hours. Until caucus-goers and primary voters start casting ballots, you will get no sweeping predictions out of me.

Dan: I’ve got some bad news for Governor Christie: I thought he did great! But I’m not sure I’m the target demographic for Republican presidential campaigns. I like what he’s doing, but I do not see a realistic path to Christie making real noise as a contender.

We all know that Christie is a world-class communicator, but his messaging is as sharper now as it has been in over a decade. He was personable, quick on his feet, and engaging. His line of direct attacks against Trump makes him stand out in a field of cowards, too afraid of Trump’s shadow to criticize him directly and repeatedly. So for that, he absolutely deserves credit.

But I would like the breathless, fawning national media to remember something: Governor Christie was the first big endorsement Donald Trump received in the 2016 cycle. And everyone knew exactly who he was back then, especially someone as shrewd as Governor Christie. So while I’m glad to see him find religion on Trump, let’s not forget that he was willing to look past all his problems when he thought it was in his personal interest to do so.

NJ Globe: Dan, one of your good friends planted this question, and given his extraordinary power in state government, I feel forced to oblige:  Chris Christie serves on the board of the New York Mets.  Will Billy Eppler be the albatross that sinks his candidacy? 

Dan: Billy Eppler currently has two points of distinction: he built the 2023 Mets, which is both the most expensive team in MLB history and has a record of 32-36 on June 15, and he gave one of the worst, most infuriating answers in baseball history at the trade deadline last year. He’s made some good moves and some bad moves, but he certainly hasn’t built a team that’s winning at a rate commensurate with Steve Cohen’s spending. We’ll soon see how long Steve Cohen’s patience is.

But Governor Christie has a bigger albatross to worry about: the one he endorsed for President in February of 2016.

(For the record: I drafted a much longer and more obnoxious response, which includes my in-depth take on the totality of the 2023 Mets. But I soon realized that no one actually wants to read that. If you’d like it, shoot me a note.)

Alex: I’m just going to drop in here as your stereotypical, obnoxious Philadelphia sports fan and say with zero references to the politics of the matter (and while risking further estrangement from my in-laws): GO PHILS!