He might be the runner-up, but New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday he’s “really relieved” presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump picked a governor as his running mate, calling Mike Pence as an “outstanding” candidate.
“Mike Pence is a great guy. And I am really relieved that Donald Trump picked a governor to be his running mate. He needs someone with him who has governed, who knows how to govern,” Christie said.
Speaking at a breakfast for the Michigan delegation to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, the New Jersey Republican subtly jabbed his fellow vice presidential hopeful, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
“We don’t need another big mouth from Congress, quite frankly, to go there, who’s never been responsible for anything, all right? Never been responsible for producing results. What Donald needed was a partner who has governed and been responsible for results and held responsible by his people.”
Christie, who was reportedly Trump’s gut choice for running mate, suppressed any frustration with Trump’s decision, calling the businessman a “friend” and “extremely generous,” and praising Pence.
“(Trump) also needed a good, decent, honest person to tell him the truth, and in Mike Pence he got all of those things. And we need to enthusiastically support Mike and nominate him Wednesday night as the next vice president.”
Multiple members of the Michigan delegation told Christie they hoped he’d be Trump’s choice for attorney general, and Christie played coy.
“We’ll see what life brings, you know? Life for me has been a pretty big roller coaster for the last 15 years, so I’m just going to strap in, hang on, and see where it takes me next.”
After the breakfast, Christie ignored multiple questions from reporters about not being chosen.
