It’s not just Trump. Christie’s gunning for DeSantis, too.

When Chris Christie jumped into the crowded Republican presidential primary, it was with the expectation that he would aim his fire at his ally-turned-nemesis, Donald Trump.

But, on numerous occasions, it’s been Ron DeSantis who is getting hit with shrapnel — and Christie’s team says that’s no accident.

Since announcing his long-shot bid for the presidency earlier this month, Christie has occupied the lonely lane of publicly attacking Trump, doing so even as DeSantis and other GOP contenders either defend the former president or avoid discussing him amid his mounting legal troubles.

But Christie isn’t on some kamikaze mission to take out the frontrunner. In fact, he isn’t sparing second-place candidate DeSantis at all. Instead, he’s trying to create space for other Trump rivals before the Florida governor further solidifies his second-place standing in the primary.

“Christie is in this to win. He’s not just in this to take down Trump,” Mike DuHaime, senior adviser to the former New Jersey governor, said in an interview. “At some point, there will be a contrast with Gov. DeSantis because frankly, he’s ahead of the rest of the field — even though it’s been a disappointing six months for DeSantis and it looked like it was going to be a two-person race.”

So far, Christie is barely registering in the polls. But he is hoping a strong performance in the debates this summer — if he qualifies for them — will reverse that.

The initial premise of his run was that he would be unafraid to take on Trump and do so in a uniquely pugnacious manner. During a pre-announcement interview on the podcast The Dispatch, he said, “A campaign would look like a direct, frontal challenge to Donald Trump.” But the formula he has used so far is to not just go after the former president but to go after others for lacking the courage to do so.

He has called out DeSantis — and other down-in-the-polls Republicans — for acquiescing to Trump as the former president faces two indictments. He’s also taken to contrasting their gubernatorial records, seeking to diminish DeSantis’ go-getter pitch by comparing the GOP-friendly political climate in Florida to the Democratic state he led for eight years.

During a town hall hosted by CNN this week, Christie — who endorsed Trump after dropping out of the presidential race in 2016 — sought to appeal to attendees who have heard candidates at turns defend Trump and attack President Joe Biden and the Department of Justice.

“We’re in a situation where there are people in my own party who are blaming DOJ,” Christie said. “How about blame [Trump?] He did it: He took documents he wasn’t supposed to take, he kept them when they asked him back for them.”

Asked by host Anderson Cooper why DeSantis would not address the particulars of the indictment, Christie turned to face the audience.

“Look, you all need to know this: They’re playing political games with you ‘cause they think, if you kind of like Trump a little bit, and I don’t say anything bad about Trump, and then Trump kind of implodes and goes away, then you’re more likely to vote for me,” he said. “How about we do this? How about you decide who is the most honest, forthright leader who has common sense and will put you first? And let’s put that person behind the desk in the Oval Office.”

He went on to joke that Republicans like DeSantis who have danced around mentioning Trump’s legal troubles are treating him like Voldemort — the fictional villain in the Harry Potter series whose name is forbidden.

“How do you beat someone if you don’t talk about them? How do you beat them if you won’t distinguish yourself from them?” Christie asked.

DeSantis, in particular, seems to be a common recipient of Christie’s broadsides. He was similarly critical of the Florida governor when he announced his campaign in New Hampshire last week.

Asked about the national debt ceiling deal — which DeSantis has warned will do nothing to prevent economic problems — Christie admonished his rival for what he said was a failure to understand the need for political compromise.

“When did compromise become such a dirty word?” Christie said. “Gov. DeSantis never had to compromise. When he was in the House of Representatives he was in the Freedom Caucus and he just said either ‘hell yes’ or ‘hell no.’ And as governor of Florida you've got a Republican Legislature who will do whatever he wants.”

And before entering the presidential race, Christie took aim at DeSantis over the Florida governor’s ongoing war with Disney.

“That’s not the guy I want sitting across from President Xi [Jinping] ... or sitting across from [President Vladimir] Putin and trying to resolve what’s happening in Ukraine, if you can’t see around a corner [Disney CEO] Bob Iger created for you,” Christie told Semafor in April. “I don’t think Ron DeSantis is a conservative, based on his actions towards Disney.”

A spokesperson for DeSantis did not respond to a request for comment.

Staffers for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Christie famously eviscerated during a presidential debate in 2016, said the current approach had a familiar ring.

“The most important thing in politics is authenticity, and Christie brings that to his attacks,” said Alex Conant, who worked for Rubio and is now a consultant unaffiliated with any 2024 candidate. “He is very comfortable throwing a punch. He seems to relish it. There’s no reading between the lines or being cute.”

Conant said Christie needs to reduce DeSantis’ standing in the race in order to set himself up as the leading alternative to Trump.

“No candidate can lose in an interaction on a national debate stage,” Conant added. “If they’re all on stage, DeSantis is going to take more hits than anybody else including Trump. DeSantis is taking up a lot of valuable political real estate right now.”

But some Republicans view Christie’s efforts less favorably. To Jason Cabel Roe, another unaffiliated GOP consultant who worked on Rubio’s presidential bid, Christie is simply being a “bully.”

“Bullying is what Christie does,” Roe said, contrasting him with the Florida governor. “DeSantis has a brand and I think unlike the others it’s a brand that Republican voters know.”

Lisa Kashinsky contributed to this report.