A source tells NBC New York that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will announce this afternoon he has decided, for real this time, that he is not running for the Republican presidential nomination next year.
He scheduled a 1 p.m. appearance in Trenton.
The outspoken former state attorney general, in his first term as New Jersey's governor, has repeatedly said he would not run, but began to waver in recent days.
Last January, he said he had made a pledge to Garden State voters to be their governor. In May, he said he was "thrilled"by the attention, but added "I just don't want to do it."
A month later, he said he was "100 percent certain" he would not run next year, adding that he was making the decision "based on whether I believe in my heart that I'm ready to be president of the United States."
But last week after traveling outside New Jersey for several appearances, including a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library, Christie began reconsidering that choice, sources said.
Mounting a presidential campaign at this late date would have been a difficult undertaking. Christie has not spent time in the early primary states, and the first nominating contests are just months away.
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