New Jersey Governor Chris Christie showed up on CNN’s State of the Union this morning to talk to host Jake Tapper about several of the controversies surrounding the Donald Trump White House. For the most part, Christie stuck to the typical Republican talking points about these different issues. Near the end of the interview, however, Christie did not show a lot of sympathy for the men and women of Congress who avoid town hall meetings with their (oftentimes very angry) constituents, telling Tapper exactly how he feels about it:
“Welcome to the real world of responsibility.”
Christie, for all his faults, actually speaks from a pretty knowledgeable position on the topic: even with all his scandals and issues as Governor, he has done over 160 town halls in his time there. And he seems rather ashamed that Senators and Representatives would duck their responsibility to listen to the people they are supposed to be serving:
“For the first time, I hear members of the House not complaining when people don’t know who they are… The fact is, right now, the heat is on the Republicans. It’s on us… We asked for authority to change the country. We now have two-thirds of the state houses in America, we have the House, we have the Senate, we have the White House. It’s now on us to produce results, and one of the things that we need to do is engage with the public.”
Christie does cycle back to the idea that several of the protesters are “professional protesters,” which he then defines as “people with an agenda,” which I do not personally believe are the same thing. However, he does end it with a fairly harsh criticism:
“Now, I understand why members of Congress don’t like it. But, you know what? You asked for the job. Go do it.”
Even though it will likely make no difference in how many members of Congress attend town hall meetings, it is nice to see someone who was one of Trump’s biggest suck-ups (who was then unceremoniously kicked to the curb, most likely by Jared Kushner) taunting people who are afraid of having to face the people they hurt with Trump’s policies and lies. Maybe it is the first step back across the bridge to normalcy for Chris Christie. Check out the full interview below:
Featured Image via YouTube Screengrab
