Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced that he's dropping his Republican presidential bid at a New Hampshire town hall-turned-speech on Wednesday night.

"From the moment I got into the race, the decision that I made was really simple: I would rather lose by telling the truth than lie in order to win. And I feel no differently today. Because this is a fight for the soul of our party and the soul of our country," Christie said.

Christie has been under intense pressure to exit the Republican presidential primary race as critics of Donald Trump work to unify behind a viable alternative to the former president.

Christie's event came hours before two of his rivals, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, met for the fifth GOP presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle. It is the only debate that Christie did not qualify for.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.