Chris Wallace Dumps On Chris Christie’s Russia Take: Armageddon Remark Was ‘Stupid’ But Biden Using ‘Pretty Good Strategy’

CNN anchor Chris Wallace dumped all over former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie‘s suggestion that President Joe Biden “sell” an off-ramp to Vladimir Putin, and said that while Biden’s nuclear Armageddon remark was “stupid,” his overall strategy has been “pretty good.”

Wallace was a guest on Friday night’s edition of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, and joined the “Overtime” segment with Maher, Christie, and Katty Kay.

The panel agreed, to varying degrees, that Biden’s remarks about our closeness to “nuclear Armageddon” were not ideal. But Wallace led the others in ganging up on Christie when he suggested Biden could be “selling” Putin an “off-ramp”:

BILL MAHER: Well, what would you do about it? What is this solution? Okay, so we’re in an alternate universe now. Chris Christie is president. He doesn’t use this terminology, but he has the solution.

CHRIS CHRISTIE: Well, first.

BILL MAHER: I’m all ears.

CHRIS CHRISTIE: I’m so, so glad to have your attention. You’ve got to stop by. What he should be doing is he should be playing a constructive role between Zelensky and Putin. Putin knows he’s losing. Putin’s not stupid. He knows he’s losing. You’ve got to give him an exit ramp. He’s got to find a way to get out without saving face.

BILL MAHER: But that’s a nonstarter because.

KATTY KAY: He has exit ramps, he’s got you know, he’s flush with cash from the high oil prices, he’s about to bring on another 300,000 troops. He controls the state media. He can call this a win at any moment that he wants to call it a win. So he is choosing not to take the exit ramp. I don’t think there’s any negotiation, especially now, to be done between Zelensky and Putin particularly.

CHRIS CHRISTIE: Yeah, I disagree.

KATTY KAY: Well, Zelensky. The exit ramp would be some accommodation where he gets some territory in Ukraine. And Zelensky isn’t going to go for that.

CHRIS CHRISTIE: They’ll go for letting them keep Crimea.

BILL MAHER: Well, that’s kind of a done deal. That was annexed in 2014…

CHRIS CHRISTIE: Well, but that’s some territory in Ukraine. I’ve got to go in there and try to sell it, man. Don’t be like set your hair on fire and yelling about nuclear Armageddon unless you’re gonna come forward with a solution…

CHRIS WALLACE: On the other hand, you’re blaming Biden for Putin’s what Putin is doing.

CHRIS CHRISTIE: I’m blaming Biden for saying nuclear Armageddon.

CHRIS WALLACE: But yes, but you can’t blame him for the failure of a Putin to take off ramp after off ramp that has been offered to him…

CHRIS CHRISTIE: I didn’t. I just don’t want…

CHRIS WALLACE: No. You’re saying. Well, no, you’ve got to go in and sell it. No.

CHRIS CHRISTIE: Going in and make a solution.

CHRIS WALLACE: Putin doesn’t want to go off ramp at this point and there’s nothing you can do about it. And frankly, I think Biden has handled I don’t agree. I think Armageddon was a stupid remark. But you’ve got to handle this as well as you can. And right now, bloodying his nose and pushing back in where they are for Zelen– for Ukraine. Pretty good strategy.

KATTY KAY: Yeah. Biden’s done a good job on this.

Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace drops full episodes each Friday, and CNN airs a version recapping highlights of the episodes Sundays at 7 pm.

Watch above via HBO.