Report: Trump didn't think his candidacy would last through October 2015

When President-elect Donald Trump announced in June 2015 his intention to run for the Republican presidential nomination, most people — including Trump himself — thought he would last only a few months.

According to a report from CNN, Trump told New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie last year that he didn't think his candidacy would last past Oct. 2015, at which point he would drop out of the race, re-up his contract for NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" and endorse Christie for the GOP nomination.

"Trump told Christie in 2015 that he didn't expect to make it past October — at which point he would endorse Christie, according to a Christie adviser who asked not to be named in order to speak about behind-the-scenes maneuvers," according to CNN, which is writing a tell-all book about the 2016 election.

The unidentified adviser said, according to CNN, "I think they always had an understanding that the first one out would probably endorse the other."

The governor dropped from the race after extremely poor showings in the first handful of Republican primaries. He then endorsed Trump and remained a senior adviser to the billionaire businessman through the general election.

Trump tapped Christie to lead his White House transition team in early May. But Vice President-elect Mike Pence replaced him last week following increased concerns about Christie's involvement in the so-called "Bridgegate" scandal.