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--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to Morning Wire, I'm John Bickley, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And I'm Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: Today, we're joined by former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who's running for the Republican presidential nomination. Governor Christie, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Chris Christie: Thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- John Bickley: So, Governor, you launched your campaign with a two-hour speech about how America is getting smaller and how Obama, Trump, and Biden have all divided the country into smaller and smaller subgroups. You say you're going to unite Americans again. What skill or quality do you have that you believe can help overcome these divisions?
--:-- Chris Christie: You know, because in the biggest job I've had as governor of New Jersey for eight years, I was a Republican conservative governor who governed a very blue state. I had to work with the Democratic legislature all eight years that I was here. I had to learn how to bring people together and how to get results. No one else in this race has had that kind of experience to deal with what the real Washington is like, which is difficult and divided at the moment. But one that we can overcome through the right type of strong leadership. And that's what I provided in New Jersey. And it's what I'll provide to the country.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's interesting. A recent headline from Politico said Chris Christie is actually gaining support for president from Democrats. The article went on to say they just love your Trump bashing persona. Who are you trying to appeal to?
--:-- Chris Christie: Trying to appeal to everybody. Initially, you have to appeal to Republicans to win the primary. But I don't think you do that by being different than who you are. I think what appeals to all voters is the truth. And that's what I'm giving in this campaign. And that's what I'll continue to give when I'm elected president.
--:-- Georgia Howe: When you say truth, what truths specifically are these connected to? Claims made by Trump or are these truths about policies? Can you expand on that for us?
--:-- Chris Christie: Sure, it's about both. So clearly, Donald Trump's claimed that he won the 2020 election. That's not true. Donald Trump's claims that he built the wall when he only built 52 miles are not true. Donald Trump's claims that he's the guy who was able to bring fiscal responsibility when he added six and a half trillion for the debt... Not true. A guy who said he was going to repeal or replace Obamacare, didn't do it. But the same things apply to Joe Biden. He said he was going to bring the country together, he ran far to the left, he added tremendous trillions to our debt as well. He's made us weaker around the world. So this is not just about any one person, but it's about those people, the policies they said they were going to pursue and did not.
--:-- John Bickley: You presented your campaign as a straight-shooting campaign, and you've specifically focused a lot of your aim on Trump. Do you actually believe it's possible to peel away Trump supporters, which are a pretty significant percentage of the Republican voting base? Is that actually possible?
--:-- Chris Christie: He has a lot of loyalty. Well, he does in some sectors. But for instance, in the last poll in New Hampshire, he was at 34%. That means 66% of the voters in New Hampshire want someone else. And so, you know, I look at these national polls and they make me laugh. We don't have a national primary. We have an electoral process, both in the primary and in the general, that is a state-by-state process. And I think folks should remember that in 2016, Donald Trump didn't lead in one poll against Hillary Clinton. Yet, on election day, Donald Trump won the majority of the states, won 306 electoral votes, and became president.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On that front, what actions are you taking to focus on these early primary states?
--:-- Chris Christie: Spending most of my time in New Hampshire and South Carolina. And I think where you spend your time and where you spend your money is where you have the opportunity to have the greatest impact. And that's what we'll be doing in New Hampshire and in South Carolina.
--:-- John Bickley: You've cited in sort of broad strokes your complaints against Trump. What are some of the specific things you're saying on the campaign trail that you feel are actually resonating with supporters?
--:-- Chris Christie: Well, I do think that a lot of people really are concerned that the nomination of Donald Trump will be in the election of Joe Biden and that Biden has beaten Trump once already and that Biden can beat Trump again. And I think he will, given that Donald Trump will be sitting for all of March and most of April in a courtroom in Washington, D.C., being tried for a felony to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power. He's not going to be out there making the case against Joe Biden during that time. And if he's convicted, it'll be very hard for him to have the credibility necessary to make the case against Biden.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, one of the complaints from Trump that you've seemed to largely dismiss is about election integrity, but a lot of Republican voters do feel that's a big priority, a real issue. How do you speak about that issue? Do you really think it's not a problem?
--:-- Chris Christie: No, I think we should always be concerned about election integrity. But there's a difference between being concerned about election integrity in general and saying that the 2020 election was stolen. Those are two very different things. Trump connects the two. They're not connected because the election wasn't stolen. The guy filed over 60 lawsuits, lost all of them. There has not been evidence presented even by him to prove that the election was altered in any one state, let alone the five states that he would have needed to change in order to change the result of the election.
--:-- John Bickley: The 2016 primary was very crowded, and that was one of the arguments for why Trump actually ended up being the nominee. Would you argue that some of the candidates need to drop out soon, and do you intend to be in for the long haul?
--:-- Chris Christie: You know, in 2016, Donald Trump going into August was behind Jeb Bush and Scott Walker. Maybe he should have dropped out then. I mean, I just don't see how you answer these questions except to go out and campaign and look at what's happening state by state. And when you look at what's happening state by state in the early states, this thing is far from over. I'm running to win and I intend to win. So, you know, no, I'm not thinking about dropping out at the moment when I'm in second place in New Hampshire at 14 percent.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, the next debate is September 27th. It's in California. Do you plan to alter or change your debate strategy for the next one, or are you going to take a similar approach?
--:-- Chris Christie: Well, I'm going to be who I am, so I don't look at things as different approaches. Every debate is different because the questioners are different, the questions are different, and it may be a different group of people on the stage. It may not be the same eight. There may be fewer. I suspect there will be. So the dynamic will change but I have no interest in changing my approach. I'm going to go out there, listen to the questions, answer them honestly, and debate differences with my other opponents on the stage. I don't think there's any need to change strategy.
--:-- John Bickley: Regarding the last debate, I think a lot of people expected that you would come out firing at Trump, and you did. But then a lot of what took place actually turned into you versus Vivek Ramaswamy. Did that just organically happen? Or did you intend to do that going in?
--:-- Chris Christie: No, it's organically happened. And that's what I mean in my answer to the last question. I didn't go in thinking about Vivek at all. But when he said ridiculous things like everybody else on the stage was bought and paid for, when he was talking about Ukraine, and people visiting Ukraine were people going to see their Pope Zelensky. You know, I mean, that kind of stuff is not only anti-Catholic, but also just dead wrong. So, you know, that's why debates are with human beings who give answers that maybe you don't expect or anticipate. And I think if you're on the stage, you have an obligation to react to them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: This is a hypothetical, of course, and there's lots of unknowns, but what would decide it for you in terms of choosing to throw your support behind another candidate?
--:-- Chris Christie: I'm planning to run and accept the nomination at the convention in Milwaukee next summer. And that's all I'm planning right now and all I'm intending to do.
--:-- John Bickley: Final question, kind of a fun one. You're a former New Jersey governor and a big fan of Bruce Springsteen, whose All-American story's been very inspiring to you. Said, what song of his do you best relate to or feel best resembles your ideological or political philosophy?
--:-- Chris Christie: Well, how about if I just give you my favorite song? That'd be great. My favorite song is Thunder Road. I think it's a song that is welcoming and optimistic and I'm looking to the future. And I think, you know, I was at all three of his shows in New Jersey this week. All three of them were different. All three of them were great. And he played Thunder Road in all three of them. So it was three good nights for me. And I enjoyed it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That sounds like a terrific time. And I agree. That's a great song. Governor, thank you so much for joining us.
--:-- Chris Christie: Our pleasure. And I hope to come back again soon. We'll look for an opportunity.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks, Governor.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Have a great day.
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