Could Chris Christie and Liz Cheney Take Trump Down?

What if Donald Trump has to fight a grudge match against Liz Cheney and Chris Christie on his way to a second term? This scenario is probably more likely than you might think—one with significant consequences.

Both Cheney and Christie are tough pugilists, and both are in the news flirting with a presidential run. In a sense, they are already running against him.

This past week, Cheney traveled to Manchester, New Hampshire, and delivered a “standing ovation” speech that was interpreted by CNN as “testing the waters” for a presidential bid. During the speech, she staked out conservative ground criticizing Joe Biden and Trump, saying the latter is at war “with the rule of law and the Constitution.”

Although Cheney isn’t directly talking about a presidential bid, she has been around long enough to know that such trips to the Granite State are sure to stoke speculation. Indeed, CNN interviewed former RNC committeeman Tom Rath, who argued there is a path to victory for Cheney.

Meanwhile, Christie angered Trump last weekend by urging his party to move on from 2020. “We can no longer talk about the past and the past elections—no matter where you stand on that issue, no matter where you stand, it is over,” Christie said during a speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas. He continued, saying the GOP better “take our eyes off the rearview mirror and start looking through the windshield again.”

Trump issued a statement dinging Christie for the comments, provoking this sharp retort from Christie: “When I ran for reelection in 2013, I got 60% of the vote,” he said. “When he ran for reelection, he lost to Joe Biden.”

This matters because people are coming to terms with the likelihood that Donald Trump will run for president in 2024. If he runs, conventional wisdom suggests he will easily win the Republican nomination (indeed, many potential 2024 candidates would likely sit out the campaign if Trump runs). Then, if it’s a binary choice between Trump and Joe Biden (or Kamala Harris), it’s plausible to imagine Trump actually winning a second term.

People who view Trump as an existential threat to our democracy should explore every possible way of derailing his candidacy. Everyone assumes Trump would coast to the Republican nomination—and maybe he will. But Cheney and Christie both have the potential to pose a more formidable challenge, and less convenient foils, than any of the candidates Trump rolled over on his way to the presidency in 2016.

For one thing, they won’t be surprised by him this time. For another—and this is key—they can talk.

Consider Christie’s jab at Trump for losing to Biden: It demonstrates Christie’s toughness and it happens to be true.

Running against Trump requires the kind of quick wit and sharp elbows that Christie seems to naturally possess. “He can throw a punch and he can take a punch,” Republican strategist Scott Reed says. Simply put, it may take a bully to beat a bully…