If New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie ever falls out of the 2016 presidential field, it looks like he’ll go down talking.
Christie sprayed opinions for 90 minutes at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire on Wednesday that left seemingly few subjects – or potential rivals – untouched. He mocked Hillary Clinton, praised Donald Trump, said vaccines were good, said Cuba was bad and said he’d wait to make up his mind about Jeb Bush.
Where to stick so many opinions, outside a presidential campaign? Christie has not yet officially declared a White House run, perhaps owing to complications in the form of rumored indictments of former colleagues expected this week for the closure of lanes on the George Washington bridge, and to his own pitiful poll numbers.
But at the event in Londonderry, New Hampshire, Christie seemed to believe that words alone could fill the perceived gap with Republican rivals.
Asked about Jeb Bush’s foreign policy, Christie brought up George W Bush:
“I’ll wait to see what Jeb is going to have to say about these things,” Christie said, according to Time. “He’s certainly got a father and brother who have a record. And I don’t know what Jeb Bush is going to say about foreign policy.”
Asked about vaccines, Christie said to get out the needles:
“I cannot be someone who supports voluntary vaccinations,” Christie said, according to the Wall Street Journal. “That would be the wrong step for the public health of our country.”
Asked about Donald Trump, Christie called him “a great American” and “a very good personal friend” but a tiresome dinner companion:
“Going to dinner with Donald Trump is exhausting,” Christie said, according to the Wall Street Journal. “He’s on all the time.”
Asked about immigration, Christie said he wouldn’t build a border fence but he would increase security:
“I’m not someone who believes in the concept of self-deportation,” Christie said, according to reporter Melissa Hayes of the Record. “These folks are not going to leave on their own.”
Asked about campaign finance, Christie mocked Hillary Clinton’s call a day earlier for a constitutional amendment to end “unaccountable money” in politics:
Clinton’s presidential campaign might raise as much as $2.5bn, “but she wants to then get the corrupting money out of politics,” Christie said, according to Time. Christie said he favored removing all caps on declared contributions.
Asked about President Barack Obama’s rapprochement with Cuba, Christie said the country was harboring a known killer of a New Jersey police officer:
“It is a national disgrace that this president would even consider normalizing relations while they are harboring a terrorist murderer,” Christie said, according to The Record.
Asked about the Affordable Care Act, Christie called for something better:
“I’m going to give a speech on Obamacare in more detail,” Christie said, according to the Record. “I think you need to come up with how you’ll replace Obamacare, not just repeal it.”
Christie even took a comment about his weight, from an attendee who thought he was looking slimmer. The governor’s reply, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal:
“Thanks for noticing.”
