Chris Christie was a hostage during Trump speech, internet suspects

When Donald Trump took the stage to celebrate his Super Tuesday victories it was New Jersey governor Chris Christie who was the star of the show. 

Christie introduced Trump with a short speech Tuesday after Trump won seven states in the race to become the Republican's U.S. presidential nominee. He then stepped aside, and made a face that many interpreted as distraught.

Only a few months ago, Christie was mocking Trump, saying that he was running for "entertainer in chief" and called several of Trump's policies "ridiculous," according to CNN. 

Here was Christie last night, standing behind Trump and staring off into the distance 

For further inspection, here's a closer look at Christie's expression

As Alexandra Petri wrote in an opinion piece for the Washington Post, "His were the eyes of a man who has gazed into the abyss, and the abyss gazed back, and then he endorsed the abyss."

Some might say his face was inscrutable, but the internet would disagree. To many, the scene was compared to a hostage situation. They suspected Christie was trapped in a prison of his own devising. 

Or perhaps someone else was keeping him there

In an effort to relinquish him from his shackles, people demanded that Trump #FreeChrisChristie

But the biggest point of speculation was on what was going through Christie's head at that moment. Was it regret?

Was it an existential terror?

Ennui?

Or maybe it was just hunger ...

On Tuesday, New Hampshire's biggest newspaper, the Union Leader, rescinded their endorsement of Christie for the state's primary because he backed Trump. 

The Union Leader's publisher, Joseph McQuaid, said that Christie had explicitly promised them that was something he wouldn't do. 

"Rather than standing up to the bully, Christie bent his knee. In doing so, he rejected the very principles of his campaign that attracted our support," McQuaid wrote in an editorial titled "Christie was our bad choice."

Meanwhile in his home state of New Jersey, six newspapers owned by the Gannett Company asked Christie to resign as governor. 

"What an embarrassment. What an utter disgrace," began the editorial.

"We're fed up with his continuing travel out of state on New Jersey's dime, stumping for Trump, after finally abandoning his own presidential campaign," it continued. 

If in that moment, as he settled in behind Trump, Christie was having any thoughts of regret, there didn't appear to be much sympathy on display for the governor. 

"Nobody is coming for you, Chris Christie. Nobody is coming to save you," the Post's Petri wrote.