Chris Christie and Marco Rubio trade jabs over 2016 debate feud: ‘We didn’t bring it up’

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are going head to head on Twitter – but not over any current issues facing Washington or the country.

Rubio on Tuesday reflected on his 2016 presidential campaign, tweeting that reporters or political commentators “claiming Christie ‘ended’ my campaign in 2016 is lazy or dumb.”

“NH debate sucked because instead of hitting back when attacked like I wanted to, I listened to advice about ‘pivoting’ & not ‘punching down,’” Rubio tweeted.

“But it didn’t end my campaign,” he added.

Rubio’s comments reference a February 2016 GOP primary debate in New Hampshire. Christie during the debate accused Rubio of being scripted and not having the right experience to serve as president.

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Rubio came in fifth place in the 2016 New Hampshire GOP primary, while Christie came in sixth. Former President Trump won the contest before defeating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race for the White House.

Christie responded to Rubio’s complaint on Tuesday, retweeting the Florida lawmaker and adding “We didn’t bring it up, but we know exactly what we are doing.”

The exchange came as Chris Christie announced his second presidential campaign. The former governor kicked off his campaign in New Hampshire on Tuesday night during a town hall event at Saint Anselm College, where he vowed to defeat former President Donald Trump and blamed Trump, former President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden for making the country “smaller” and dividing Americans.

“I’ve watched our country over the last decade which seems to be getting smaller and smaller," Christie said. "Smaller in every way. Smaller in the way we talk to each other. Smaller in the way we look at each other. Smaller in the things that we talk to each other about. Smaller in the issues that we care enough to get angry about."

Contributing: Ken Tran, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Lazy or dumb': Chris Christie, Marco Rubio clash over debate feud