Consider that Christie is a lame-duck governor who was passed over for vice president on Mitt Romney’s 2012 ticket and whose presidential primary run in 2016 ended quickly. Christie has burned down bridges he might have built with the establishment’s favored son now (and perhaps in eight years), Sen. Marco Rubio. If you were Christie and you wanted to keep your political career alive while maximizing your chances to remain a relevant contender for the presidency, what better move than to hitch yourself to the current presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump?

From Trump’s perspective, Christie will pound away at Rubio while Trump can focus more of his energies elsewhere. If Trump wins the nomination, Christie’s loyalty would be rewarded. Would Christie add anything to a Trump ticket? It is hard to imagine two brash Northeastern liberal Republicans forming a ticket that gets Trump any additional support. Moreover, there are red flags that led Romney to pass on Christie in the first place.
If Trump wins the nomination, Christie’s loyalty would be rewarded.

However, another seat in law enforcement, in fact the highest seat in the land, that of attorney general, could make perfect sense. “Bridgegate” and the sources of Romney’s apprehensions notwithstanding—and of course these matters could derail such plans—Christie’s credentials, political acumen, and temperament are perfectly suited for a Trump AG. Christie could replicate his New Jersey efforts at a national level, settling scores with maximum intended political effect as a means of positioning himself to be a potential successor to Trump.