Hot mic: Chris Christie declares Nikki Haley's 'gonna get smoked' right before suspending his 2024 campaign

• Chris Christie is suspending his 2024 campaign, a move likely to benefit Nikki Haley.
• But just before his announcement, he was caught on a hot mic trashing Haley's chances.
• Christie declares that Haley's "gonna get smoked" and isn't "up to this."

Just moments before he was set to announce the end of his 2024 presidential campaign at a town hall event in New Hampshire, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was caught on a hot mic making disparaging comments about Nikki Haley.

"She's gonna get smoked, and you and I both know it," Christie can be heard saying. "She's not up to this."

The former South Carolina governor and one-time US ambassador to the United Nations is set to benefit the most from Christie's decision to drop out, particularly given her polling in New Hampshire.

During the exchange, with an individual named "Wayne," Christie boasted of how his campaign had spent less money on advertisements than either Haley or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"Who's punching above their weight and who's going getting a return on their investment," he said.

When Christie was asked if Trump would likely win next week's Iowa caucuses, the former governor replied: "Oh, easily."

Christie then said that DeSantis had called him and was "petrified," before the mic cut off.