Hot mic catches Chris Christie giving his uncensored view of Nikki Haley's campaign — and Ron DeSantis agrees

Chris Christie was caught on a hot mic predicting that Nikki Haley will get "smoked" in the Republican presidential primary.

Just moments before Christie took the stage in New Hampshire to announce the end of his campaign, the event livestream caught Christie speaking with people offstage about the state of the Republican race.

"I mean, look, she spent $68 million so far, just on TV. Spent $68 million so far; $59 million by DeSantis. And we spent 12," Christie said. "I mean, who's punching above their weight and who's getting a return on their investment, you know? And she's going to get smoked. And you and I both know it. She's not up to this."

Sources who spoke with NBC News confirmed something else Christie said in the clip: that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called him earlier in the day when he heard rumors that Christie was planning to suspend his campaign.

According to that source, DeSantis told Christie that he "appreciated" his role in the race despite his campaign ending prematurely.

Importantly, the source also said that Christie attacked Haley in that call. The former New Jersey governor reportedly called Haley a "joke" who is not up to the task of winning the Republican presidential nomination — let alone the presidency.

DeSantis, meanwhile, agreed with Christie's assessment that Haley is "going to get smoked."

In recent weeks, a relationship between Christie and DeSantis has begun to bud, according to Politico — over their shared concern that Haley is a poor candidate.

Politico reported:

DeSantis and Christie have privately been talking by phone in recent weeks, and have discussed their mutual belief that Haley is a poor candidate. After Haley flubbed a question about the origins of the Civil War, Christie reached out to DeSantis to talk about it. They have also conversed about their shared view that Haley hasn’t given a direct answer on whether she is open to being Trump’s vice presidential pick.

If the polls are correct, Haley will indeed get "smoked." It is ironic, however, that Christie — whose campaign did not reach the first caucus or primary — made that prediction.

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