Chris Christie to Chair Donald Trump Transition Team

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, wave as they arrive at a rally at Millington Regional Airport in Millington, Tenn., Saturday, February 27th, 2016.

Chris Christie is going to work for The Donald.

Today, Trump announced that Christie would chair his transition team — the group that will prepare for what is hopefully a smooth transition from President Barack Obama to the newly-elected president.

“Governor Christie is an extremely knowledgeable and loyal person with the tools and resources to put together an unparalleled Transition Team, one that will be prepared to take over the White House when we win in November,” Trump said in a press release. “I am grateful to Governor Christie for his contributions to this movement.”

Christie avoided attacking Trump for months during the presidential primary, but did hit him directly late in his run. But Christie’s embarrassingly low finishes in his the first two primaries led him to drop out of the presidential race in early February. Later that month, he endorsed Trump.

The move cost him allies, but it paid off for Christie: Trump is now the presumptive nominee, and will likely clinch the nomination when New Jersey’s results are announced on June 7th. Christie was the first “big name” to endorse Trump after dropping out of the race. Trump is holding a $200-a-ticket “rally” which appears to be designed to help Christie pay off his campaign debt.

“I am honored by the confidence being placed in me by Mr. Trump and look forward to putting together a first-rate team to assemble an administration to help best serve the President-elect and the nation,” Christie said in a release. The Trump campaign described Christie as a “confidant” of Trump’s and that he would head up an “extensive team of professionals preparing to take over the White House, and all that entails, in the fall.”

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