A former Republican governor has accused a prominent MAGA figure of publicly pledging loyalty to President Donald Trump while privately tearing him down behind closed doors.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was asked what “Republicans say to each other when we’re not listening about what’s happening in America right now” during an appearance on the “Overtime” segment of Real Time with Bill Maher.
“Look, so many of my fellow party members, especially, come up to me because I say all this stuff out loud, and they—in the green room at ABC, they’ll say, ‘You’re so brave. That’s so great. I totally agree with you. [Trump’s] nuts.’ And then they go out on camera to be interviewed, and they go, ‘The greatest president since Abraham Lincoln,’” he replied. “And then they come back in the green room, and they say to me, ‘You know, I have to do that, but like I don’t really mean it.’ That’s what they say.”
Maher followed up by pressing the former governor to name which Republicans he was referring to.
“Bill, ‘Overtime’s’ not long enough to give you all the names, but I’ll give you one. Lindsey Graham,” Christie said on Friday’s episode.
The Daily Beast has contacted Sen. Graham’s office for comment.
Sen. Graham, a longtime Republican ally of President Trump, has had a complex and sometimes contradictory relationship with the commander in chief.
During the 2016 Republican primary, in which Graham was a candidate, Graham sharply attacked Trump, calling him a “jacka–” who “shouldn’t be commander in chief” after Trump insulted Sen. John McCain, one of Graham’s closest allies. Trump responded in kind, mocking Graham at a rally and even reading the senator’s private cellphone number aloud to the crowd.
After Trump won the presidency, however, Graham reversed course. He became one of Trump’s closest Senate allies and a frequent golf partner, saying in a 2018 interview that he felt an “obligation” to help a Republican president succeed. That loyalty boosted Graham’s standing with GOP voters and helped him secure reelection in 2020.
The alliance later showed strain. Graham criticized Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 defendants as “a mistake.”
“US President Donald J. Trump (L), alongside Republican Senator from South Carolina Lindsey Graham (R), play golf at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, USA, 18 July 2020.”
JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Soon afterward, Graham delivered a rare public rebuke, telling the Senate that Trump needed to acknowledge his responsibility for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and calling the episode a “self-inflicted wound” that tarnished the final days of his presidency.
“Trump and I, we’ve had a hell of a journey. I hate it to end this way. Oh my God, I hate it,” he said. “From my point of view, he’s been a consequential president, but today, first thing you’ll see. All I can say is count me out, enough is enough.”
Still, Graham ultimately stood by Trump through criminal indictments and a new White House bid, despite occasional disagreements, including over abortion policy.
By 2025, the relationship appeared to have been repaired. Trump endorsed Graham for reelection, praise Graham welcomed, and the two were recently seen together at Mar-a-Lago, including at a Super Bowl watch party and on the golf course.
Trump and Christie have also had a complicated relationship over the past few years.
Although Christie endorsed Trump after ending his 2016 campaign, their relationship turned icy after Trump refused to concede the 2020 election and Christie later criticized his 2024 bid. Amid pressure to exit the GOP race, Christie ran an ad highlighting that he was the “only one” speaking out against Trump, accusing him of “pitting Americans against each other.”
“Some people say I should drop out of this race. Really? I’m the only one saying Donald Trump is a liar,” Christie added.
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