Presidential candidate and former New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie announced this week that he "would have a hard time" pardoning Donald Trump if elected. 

According to The Hill, Christie made that declaration during a Thursday interview with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation.

"I can’t imagine a pardon being issued"

"Let’s say with the documents case — which is the only one that the president would have jurisdiction over," the former governor began.

"Given what’s alleged in the indictment, if that were proven, and … the former president were found guilty, as long as I thought he got a fair trial … I would have a hard time considering any pardon," Christie remarked.

"And by the way, as you know, to get a pardon, you have to also accept responsibility for what you did. I doubt very highly that Donald Trump would ever do that. And so I can’t imagine a pardon being issued," the Republican hopeful insisted.

Christie's anti-pardon stance appears to have hardened since last month when he expressed uncertainty over pardoning Trump.

New Hampshire town hall audience member: “If Donald Trump is indicted, and you become president, will you pardon him?”

Chris Christie: “I can’t completely answer that …” pic.twitter.com/2kBC05jEOS

— The Recount (@therecount) June 7, 2023

Christie says Trump is "a coward" if he won't debate

Christie went on to assert in his Cuomo interview that the former president will be "a coward" if he doesn't participate in the first Republican primary debate, which will be hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 23.

"That’s the only excuse for him sitting in his place in Bedminster, N.J., and watching it on TV, rather than being a man and stand on the stage. And defend his record and his conduct.

However, Christie said he thinks Trump will ultimately show up as his "ego is much too large" to not attend the event.

The Hill noted that Christie's anti-pardon stance contrasts sharply with the position taken by businessman and fellow Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Vivek Ramaswamy says he would pardon Trump on his first day in office

Ramaswamy declared in a tweet last month that he would "pardon Trump promptly on January 20, 2025 and to restore the rule of law in our country."

We can’t have two tiers of justice: one for Trump, another for Biden. One for Assange, another for Manning. One for BLM/Antifa, another for peaceful protesters on Jan 6.

I never thought we’d see the day when the U.S. President deputizes the DOJ to arrest his lead rival in the…

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) June 9, 2023

"I never thought we’d see the day when the U.S. President deputizes the DOJ to arrest his lead rival in the middle of an election," Ramaswamy complained.