Former President Donald Trump took a not-so-subtle swing at former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday, mocking his expected entry into the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination by pointing to his dismal approval rating while governor.

During an exclusive Fox News Town Hall in Iowa, the location of the first contest in the presidential primaries, Trump questioned why Republicans like Christie continued to jump into the already crowded field of candidates seeking to challenge his front-runner status.

"I don’t know why people are doing it. They’re at one percent. Some are at zero," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity. "I hear Chris Christie’s coming in. He’s at – he was at 6% in New Jersey, which is – I love New Jersey, but 6% approval rating in New Jersey. What’s the purpose? And he’s polling at zero."

VOCAL GOP TRUMP CRITIC CHRIS CHRISTIE EXPECTED TO LAUNCH 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN NEXT WEEK

Trump's attacks come after news broke Wednesday that Christie is planning to officially launch his presidential campaign next week. It would be the former governor's second run for the presidency after an unsuccessful bid during the 2016 Republican primaries.

Christie left office with an approval rating near the single digits following a number of scandals that made him one of the least popular governor's in New Jersey history. Similarly, he hasn't had much of an impact on Republican primary voters in the race so far, as the few polls that have included him show him in the low single digits or less.

Trump went on to also mock fellow Republican candidates already in the race, like former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who he called "Aida," and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is currently seen as the former president's main rival in the race.

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"This guy, nobody knows who the hell he is. Never good," Trump said of Hutchinson. "You know, it’s fine, but I don’t understand what they’re doing." 

"Now maybe there’s something wrong, but when you’re at 1% or less – 1%, it says 1% with an arrow pointing left. There’s one guy who’s at zero with an arrow pointing left that means he’s at less than zero. It is what it is," he added. 

"I really go after the one whose second, and I think the one whose second has gone down so much and so rapidly that I don’t think he’s going to be second that much longer. I think he’s going to be third or fourth," he said, referencing DeSantis.

Sources familiar with Christie's thinking say that Christie will formally launch his campaign at a town hall at Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics, next Tuesday, June 6.

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Fox News' Paul Steinhauser and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed Thursday that the league’s investigation into Ja Morant’s latest incident with a firearm could "come to a head" now, but the league is going to wait until the NBA Finals are over. 

Morant is currently suspended indefinitely from the Memphis Grizzlies as the league underwent an investigation into the All-Star waving a firearm on an Instagram Live yet again. This time, it was on his friend, Davonte Pack’s, account, while his first incident came on his own Instagram while intoxicated inside a Denver nightclub during the regular season. 

Silver was asked about Morant ahead of Game 1 in Denver between the Nuggets and Miami Heat, where he first laid out what goes into the league’s decision.

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"In assessing what discipline is appropriate, if that’s the case, we look at both the history of prior acts," Silver said. "But then we look at individual player’s history as well and the seriousness, of course, of the conduct. So, those are all the things that get factored. It’s not an exact science. It comes down to judgment at the end of the day on the part of me and my colleagues in the league office."

Silver then discussed the timing of the investigation’s findings going public, which he says will likely come after the series between the Nuggets and Heat ends because it "would be unfair" to those fighting for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

"In terms of the timing, we’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information," Silver said. "Since I was still asked about the situation, I would say we probably could’ve brought it to a head now, but we made the decision and I believe the Players Association agrees with us, that it would be unfair to these players and these teams in the middle of this series to announce the results of that investigation."

"It’s better to park that at the moment, at least any public announcement, and my sense now is that shortly after the conclusion of the Finals."

Morant’s current suspension from his team, and the fact that the Grizzlies are no longer playing, factored into the decision to hold the public announcement on his punishment.

Morant was seen on Pack’s Instagram Live flashing a firearm quickly before the camera panned away from him. The Grizzlies wasted no time suspending him after dealing with the Denver incident during the season, which also resulted in a league suspension.

Silver did previously say in an interview at the NBA Draft Lottery that he expects the worst to come down on Morant following the investigation. He had met with Morant following the first incident and believed him to be remorseful, though a repeat offense may have his mind changed.

"I know I've disappointed a lot of people who have supported me," Morant said in a statement recently. "This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do," Morant said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. "My words may not mean much right now, but I take full responsibility for my actions. I'm committed to continuing to work on myself."

Morant was named an All-Star for the second consecutive year during the 2022-2023 regular season. He averaged 26.2 points per game with 8.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds in 61 games.