--- title: Chris Christie, Marco Rubio Try to Take Down Donald Trump description: By giving big national security speeches. canonical: https://time.com/4166907/chris-christie-marco-rubio-donald-trump-national-security/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-04T21:46:19.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:50:33.598Z article:section: Politics og:title: Christie and Rubio Try to Take Down Trump, Indirectly og:description: By talking about national security. og:url: https://time.com/4166907/chris-christie-marco-rubio-donald-trump-national-security/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb78f9d924ab74b18/69887771bc6cfc87973db0d6/chris-christie-marco-rubio1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (L) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) participate in the first prime-time presidential debate hosted by FOX News and Facebook at the Quicken Loans Arena August 6, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Christie and Rubio Try to Take Down Trump, Indirectly twitter:description: By talking about national security. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb78f9d924ab74b18/69887771bc6cfc87973db0d6/chris-christie-marco-rubio1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Christie and Rubio Try to Take Down Trump, Indirectly by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) and [Philip Elliott / Goffstown, N.H.](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/) Jan 4, 2016 9:46 PM UTC  Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (L) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) participate in the first prime-time presidential debate hosted by FOX News and Facebook at the Quicken Loans Arena August 6, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (L) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) participate in the first prime-time presidential debate hosted by FOX News and Facebook at the Quicken Loans Arena August 6, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio.Scott Olson—Getty Images by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) and [Philip Elliott / Goffstown, N.H.](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/) Jan 4, 2016 9:46 PM UTC Ten miles apart on a frigid Monday in New Hampshire, two leading rivals each pitched themselves as the toughest on terror. But their true common foe, more than ISIS or radical Islam was frontrunner Donald Trump. Roughly a month before Iowa and New Hampshire residents weigh-in on what is shaping up to be a brutal and bloody nominating contest among Republicans, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie offered dueling pitches on national security. While the events were billed as addresses on American leadership, they were very much about disqualifying their loud-mouthed rival. “Our next president needs to be someone prepared on day one to execute his duty—someone with the judgment and the vision to lead this country back,” Rubio said, hinting at Trump’s inexperience as he stood in an American Legion hall in Hooksett. “We need a Commander-in-Chief with a record of leadership and judgment. Of all the candidates running in either party, only I have that record.” Echoing that theme, Christie two hours later was denying Trump’s ability to command the nation’s military. “We are not electing an entertainer-in-chief. Showmanship is fun, but it’s not the type of leadership that will truly change America,” Christie said on the campus of Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire. “If we’re going to turn our frustration and anger with the D.C. insiders and the politicians of yesterday and the carnival barkers of today into something that will actually change Americans’ lives, then we must elect someone who has been tested, someone with proven experience.” The two candidates, who badly trail Trump in the polls, are betting that caucus-goers and voters are finally starting to take their roles seriously, that the flirtation with Trump will yield a more sober analysis of the skills and traits required in the next President. To that end, Rubio and Christie are offering themselves as viable counterweights to Trump’s bombast. At the same time, the two offer radically different pitches of themselves as president, relying on divergent personal narratives and resumes to make their case as the best replacement for Obama. Reading off prepared text on his lectern, Rubio offered a brief tour of the global challenges facing the country, but offered little in the way of solutions, other than promising renewed American leadership. It was classic Rubio: high on poetry, light on specifics and highly aspirational. Christie, reading from a teleprompter, talked up his role as a federal prosecutor after 9/11 and his own toughness—traits that offer debatable preparation for the role of commander in chief. But the remarks often strayed into a scolding for fellow Republicans to pick a “grown up” for a nominee, not a reality television star. Neither speech stood to reshape the race on its own, but the remarks carried value in that these candidates were talking about the issue, while Trump was on Twitter mocking a Jeb Bush fundraiser. Trump has climbed to the top of the polls by tapping voters’ anger and anxiety. He promised to block Muslims from entering the country in the wake of terror attacks in Paris and California, and has been outwardly hostile to other voting blocs of Americans. Yet with every inflammatory statement, he seems to rise in voters’ minds and crowds out other, more traditional candidates. Hence, Rubio and Christie and their back-to-back speeches on national security, an issue that no one could credibly suggest is Trump’s strong suit. Rubio suggested that Americans allied with terrorists could be denied their Constitutional rights and sent to Guantanamo Bay. “I will have no qualms about treating you like the enemy combatant you are if you have actionable information and refuse to cooperate,” he said. **Read More:** [_How Ted Cruz Is Winning the GOP Race–on the Ground_](http://time.com/4157534/how-ted-cruz-is-winning-the-gop-race-on-the-ground/) Elsewhere in his remarks, Rubio aired squarely at Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, fellow Senators whom he branded “isolationist candidates,” suggesting their calls for military budget cuts were leaving the nation less safe. “They talk tough, yet they would strip us of the ability to keep our people safe,” he said. “Words and political stunts cannot ensure our security. ISIS cannot be filibustered.” Roughly two hours later, it was Christie’s turn to hammer America’s enemies—and Trump and, to a lesser extent, Rubio. “As voters become more frustrated, angry voices begin to sound more reasonable. But it is not enough to express anger. We must elect someone who actually knows how we get things done,” Christie said. Voters, however, are more interested in that anger than accomplishments at this point. Christie advisers are betting that mood changes and the candidate himself is trying to correct voters’ attitudes. “Bluster is not the leadership that we crave,” Christie said, before taking a subtle jab at Rubio and his dismal attendance record in the Senate. “Talking a big game and not showing up, or not knowing how, is not what we desperately need today.” Residents in Iowa and New Hampshire traditionally settle on a candidate late in the process, with roughly half in 2012 deciding in the final week of the campaign. It’s why Rubio and Christie—along with others like Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush—are camped out in the early nominating states. As Rubio joked Sunday night at a town hall in Raymond, voters are still whittling down their top choices: “My favorite line from New Hampshire is that I’m down to five (choices).” Rubio is hoping he can prompt some of those valued voters to cross Trump off their lists. **Read Next:** [_Chris Christie Shifts Focus to Iowa, Betting Big on Governor’s Team_](http://time.com/4165593/chris-christie-iowa-governor/) ### See Chris Christie's Life in Photos  Chris Christie as an infant in 1963. Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie  The Christie family, from left to right, Todd, Dawn, and Chris, with mom, Sondra in an undated photo. Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie  The Christie family, from left to right, Dawn, Todd and Chris, with mom, Sondra and dad, Bill in Singer Island, Fla., in 1974. Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie  An undated photo of Chris Christie, who played catcher for the Livingston High School varsity baseball team. Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie  Chris Christie's senior class photo and profile from Livingston High School's yearbook in 1980. Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie  Livingston High School's yearbook profile on Chris Christie in 1980. Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie  An early photo of Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat where the couple met at the University of Delaware. Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie  Chris Christie and Mary Pat on their wedding day in 1986. Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie  Chris Christie, left, is sworn as freeholder, by Senator Joseph Kyrillos, Jr., as Christie’s wife Mary Pat holds the bible and their son Andrew during the Morris County Board of Freeholders reorganization meeting in Morristown, N.J. Patti Sapone—Star-Ledger  The Governor Chris Christie and his family in 1994. Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie  Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat at the inauguration of former president George W. Bush in Washington on Jan. 20, 2001. Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie  Chris Christie, center, answers a question on the steps of U.S. District Courthouse in Newark, N.J. on Aug. 13, 2003. Mike Derer—AP  New Jersey Republican nominee for Governor Chris Christie (C) and his running mate Sheriff Kim Guadagno (L) make some phone calls to voters at Monmouth County Republican Headquarters in Freehold, N.J. on Nov. 2, 2009. Hiroko Masuike—Getty Images  New Jersey Governor-elect Chris Christie and wife Mary Pat wave to election-night supporters at Christie's victory celebration in Parsippany, N.J. on Nov. 3, 2009. Stephen Chernin—Getty Images  Governor Chris Christie spends time with his daughter Bridget during Take Our Kids to Work Day in Trenton, N.J. on April 22, 2010. Matt Rainey—Star-Ledger  Talk-show host Oprah Winfrey poses with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker and Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, during a live broadcast of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Sept. 24, 2010, in Chicago. Harpo Productions/AP  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie lays a white rose on wreckage pulled from Ground Zero during the memorial dedication to the Empty Sky Memorial at Liberty State Park on Sept. 10, 2011 in Jersey City, N.J. Andrew Burton—Getty Images  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, center, touches the stones of the Western Wall during his visit to Jerusalem's old city, April 2, 2012. Sebastian Scheiner—AP  President Barack Obama tours 1 World Trade Center with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, center, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, in New York City on, June 14, 2012. Doug Mills—The New York Times/Redux  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie kisses his wife, Mary Pat, at an appearance with the Michigan delegation at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 28, 2012. Max Whittaker—The New York Times/Redux  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla, on Aug. 28, 2012. Stan Honda—AFP/Getty Images  Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Bob White, left, a Romney adviser, on Romney's campaign bus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Oct. 10, 2012. Jim Wilson—The New York Times/Redux  Governor Chris Christie, Seth Meyers on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update on Nov. 11, 2012. NBC/Getty Images  Governor Chris Christie and President Barack Obama hold a press conference after taking an ariel tour of the damage in New Jersey from Hurricane Sandy and and talking to residents in Brigantine, N.J. on Oct. 31, 2012. Tim Larsen—Governor's Office  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie comforts Kerri Berean whose home was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in Little Ferry, N.J., on Nov. 3, 2012. Tim Larsen—Governor's Office/Reuters  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appeared on "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012," which aired Dec. 12, 2012. Ida Mae Astute—ABC/Getty Images  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie departs after giving his State of the State address in the assembly chamber in Trenton, N.J. on Jan. 8, 2013\. Christie renewed his calls to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday to quickly pass the full $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy relief package, saying victims in New Jersey had been short-changed. Carlo Allegri—Reuters  Gov. Chris Christie fixes his tie in his offfice before delivering his State Of The State address at the Statehouse, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013, in Trenton, N.J. Edward Keating—Contact for TIME  US President Barack Obama and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (L) walk along the boardwalk as they view rebuilding efforts following last year's Hurricane Sandy in Point Pleasant, N.J. on May 28, 2013. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie celebrates his re-election in Asbury Park, N.J., on Nov. 5, 2013. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4166907/chris-christie-marco-rubio-donald-trump-national-security/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4166907/chris-christie-marco-rubio-donald-trump-national-security/"},"headline":"Christie and Rubio Try to Take Down Trump, Indirectly","datePublished":"2016-01-04T21:46:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:50:33.598Z","description":"With back-to-back speeches on national security","url":"https://time.com/4166907/chris-christie-marco-rubio-donald-trump-national-security/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic","Chris Christie","Sen. Marco Rubio","new hampshire"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb78f9d924ab74b18/69887771bc6cfc87973db0d6/chris-christie-marco-rubio1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeke Miller","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Philip Elliott / Goffstown, N.H."}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb78f9d924ab74b18/69887771bc6cfc87973db0d6/chris-christie-marco-rubio1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (L) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) participate in the first prime-time presidential debate hosted by FOX News and Facebook at the Quicken Loans Arena August 6, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio.","caption":"Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (L) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) participate in the first prime-time presidential debate hosted by FOX News and Facebook at the Quicken Loans Arena August 6, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio.","creditText":"Scott Olson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4166907/chris-christie-marco-rubio-donald-trump-national-security/","name":"Christie and Rubio Try to Take Down Trump, Indirectly"}}]}] ```