GOP candidates hit DeSantis, Trump over LGBTQ debate

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Sunday condemned the campaign video Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released bashing Donald Trump for voicing support for the LGBTQ community.

"I'm not comfortable with [the video], and I'm not comfortable with the way both governor DeSantis and Donald Trump are moving our debate in this country,” Christie said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“They're trying to divide us further. And it's wrong. It's absolutely wrong,” Christie added, saying candidates should instead be focused on issues like inflation and American competitiveness.

“It is a teenage, you know, food fight, between Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump … and it certainly doesn't make me feel inspired, as an American, on the Fourth of July weekend to have this type of back and forth going on,” Christie told CNN’s Dana Bash.

Former Rep. Will Hurd, a recent entrant into the GOP primary field, also criticized the line of attack, calling on candidates to focus on foreign policy and economic issues.

“I wish they would focus their attacks on war criminals like Vladimir Putin, not my friends in the LGBTQ community,” Hurd said. “It is 2023. We should be talking about how do we embrace our differences.”