Chris Christie Quotes & Sayings

We pay a price when special interests win out over the collective national interest. — Chris Christie

Mitt Romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to end the debacle of putting the world's greatest care system in the hands of federal bureaucrats and putting those bureaucrats between an American citizen and her doctor. — Chris Christie

I'm tired of dealing with the crazies. — Chris Christie

I know the human spirit. I haven't found a wall that can be built that a determined human being can't get over, under or around. — Chris Christie

Here's what I know about political campaigns: no matter what you map out at the beginning, it's always different at the end. — Chris Christie

China need to be fought back on. And what we need to do is go at the things that they are most sensitive and most embarrassing to them; that they're hiding; get that information and put it out in public. Let the Chinese people start to digest how corrupt the Chinese government is; how they steal from the Chinese people; and how they're enriching oligarchs all throughout China. — Chris Christie

No wonder nobody around the world is nervous about America anymore. No wonder we're not intimidating our adversaries and they're running around wild in the world, because they know we're not investing in our defense anymore. We need to make or military strong, not to wage war, but to avoid war and to bring peace and stability in the world. — Chris Christie

Now, in New Jersey, we have more government workers per square mile than any state in America. But since I've been governor we now have fewer people on the state payroll at any time since Christie Whitman left office in January 2001. That's the right direction, Mr. President, not the wrong direction. — Chris Christie

Only in America, where someone like me could have the opportunity to seek the highest office the world has to offer. Not only can all of us achieve whatever dream we want to achieve because of the place where we live and the opportunities it gives us, but that we not only can do it together, but we have to do it together! — Chris Christie

Today is the day for the complaining to end and for statesmanship to begin. Today I am taking action to cut state spending and balance the budget this year. — Chris Christie

Get the hell off the Beach in Asbury Park and get out. You're done. It's 4:30 PM. You've maximized your tan. Get off the beach. Get in you cars and get out of those areas. — Chris Christie

Social Security is meant to be - to make sure that no one who's worked hard and played by the rules and paid into the system grows old in poverty in America. — Chris Christie

I said we are going to balance an $11 billion budget deficit in a $29 billion budget, so by percentage, the largest budget deficit in America, by percentage, larger than California, larger than New York, larger than Illinois. And we're going to balance that without raising taxes on the people of the state of New Jersey. — Chris Christie

This administration, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton through their foreign policy, have betrayed the American people, because the weakness they've displayed has led to Putin's incursions in the Middle East and in eastern Europe, and has led - has led to significant problems in the Middle East as well, and the death and murder of lots of folks. — Chris Christie

I don't compromise my principles for politics. — Chris Christie

Hillary Clinton called President Assad a "reformer". She called Assad a "different kind of leader".
There's now 400,000 now dead ... think about that. — Chris Christie

We have a man [Donald Trump] who judges people based on their performance regardless of your gender, race, your ethnic or religious background. — Chris Christie

Although the governor strongly disagrees with the court substituting its judgment for the constitutional process of the elected branches or a vote of the people, the court has now spoken clearly as to their view of the New Jersey Constitution, and, therefore, same-sex marriage is the law. — Chris Christie

Finally, here at home, in one of her first decisions as Secretary of State, she set up a private e-mail server in her basement in violation of our national security. Let's face the facts: Hillary Clinton cared more about protecting her own secrets than she cared about protecting America's secrets. — Chris Christie

The biggest anxiety is just about America's role in the world. People are feeling very unsafe. They really are. They're just wondering whether, anything can be done to try to stabilize the world a little bit. — Chris Christie

We prosecuted two of the biggest terrorism cases in the world and stopped Fort Dix from being attacked by six American radicalized Muslims from a Mosque in New Jersey because we worked with the Muslim American community to get intelligence and we used the Patriot Act to get other intelligence to make sure we did those cases. This is the difference between actually been a federal prosecutor, actually doing something, and not just spending your life as one of hundred debating it. — Chris Christie

I absolutely believe that, come November 2012, I'm going to be governor of New Jersey and not in any other office. But the fact of the matter is, if Gov. Romney, who's going to be our nominee, picked up the phone and called me to talk about this, I love my country enough and I love my party enough to listen. — Chris Christie

We have people across this country who are scared to death. Because I could tell you this, as a former federal prosecutor, if a center for the developmentally disabled in San Bernardino, California, is now a target for terrorists, that means everywhere in America is a target for these terrorists. — Chris Christie

A retired teacher paid $62,000 towards her pension and nothing, yes nothing, for full family medical, dental and vision coverage over her entire career. What will we pay her? $1.4 million in pension benefits and another $215,000 in health care benefit premiums over her lifetime. — Chris Christie

And I think what people in New Jersey have gotten to know about me over the last decade that I've been in public life is what you see is what you get. And I'm no different when I'm sitting with you than I am when I'm at home or anyplace else. — Chris Christie

I don't think there's anybody in America who thinks my personality is best suited to being Number Two. — Chris Christie

We vetoed five income tax increases during my time as governor. We cut business taxes $2.3 billion, and we cut regulation by one-third of what my predecessor put in place. — Chris Christie

And I think if the president's made a mistake here, it's this laid-back kind of approach where he's waiting for someone else to solve the problem. Some people say it's a political strategy. No matter what it is, it's not effective in solving problems. — Chris Christie

I believe we have become paralyzed, paralyzed by our desire to be loved. Now our founding fathers had the wisdom to know that social acceptance and popularity were fleeing, and that this country's principles needed to be rooted in strengths greater than the passions and the emotions of the times. — Chris Christie

If we make the tough decisions now, we will be one year ahead of 80 percent of the states in the race to economic growth. If we fail to act, we will fall even further behind ... by going first, we can become first. — Chris Christie

I'm quite sure that no court is telling anybody that they cannot say whatever they want to say. — Chris Christie

You're saying 'will it become politically unpopular to have the position I'm having.' If it does, so be it. — Chris Christie

When I get to the White House, there will be no hesitation from me to make the tough decisions that need to be made because I've been doing it for the last 13 years as a former federal prosecutor and now as the governor of New Jersey. — Chris Christie

Next in Iran, Hillary Clinton launched the negotiations that brought about the worst nuclear deal in history. — Chris Christie

It is our obligation to stop Hillary Clinton now and never let her get within 10 miles of the White House again. — Chris Christie

I think people are listening to our message of securing the homeland first, keeping the American people safe and improving our economic situation. I think those things are being received well, and we're moving forward here. — Chris Christie

If you give me the chance and give me your vote I will protect America from the wars that are being brought to our door step. — Chris Christie

People have the absolute right to preach and to think and to say whatever they believe, and at the same time those beliefs can't be used as the basis for denying other people their equal rights and their equal freedom. — Chris Christie

When you're pro-life, you need to be pro-life for the whole life. — Chris Christie

Marijuana addiction is a serious problem — Chris Christie

I spent seven years of my life in the immediate aftermath of September 11th doing this work, working with the Patriot Act, working with our law enforcement, working with the surveillance community to make sure that we keep America safe. — Chris Christie

As governor of Ohio, I have an obligation to keep the 11.5 million people in Ohio safe. And we have been very effective with our Joint Terrorism Task Force, being able to make busts. — Chris Christie

If I had the choice now, I'd make New Jersey a state where you can have a shall issue on conceal and carry. Now our legislature won't do that, but I have done recently is to make sure that we're making it easier for folks to be able to get a permit in New Jersey because they deserve the right to do that as law-abiding citizens. — Chris Christie

I never wrote a check to Planned Parenthood. — Chris Christie

I'll tell what reckless is. What reckless is is calling [Bashar] Assad a reformer. What reckless is allowing Russia to come into Crimea and Ukraine. What reckless is is inviting Russia into Syria to team with Iran. That is reckless. And the reckless people are the folks in the White House right now. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are the reckless people. — Chris Christie

I am not going to make any commitments to the teachers union to do anything until they do something that's other than in their own self- interest. And everything they have done so far is in their self-interests, and that's it. — Chris Christie

I can guarantee you this, that more pension and benefit reforms which I will consider arbitration reform to be one of them, are things that when they come to my desk, they will be signed. — Chris Christie

When you're exonerated, then the people who wrongly accused you should have the guts to stand up and say, "I'm sorry." — Chris Christie

I'm going to be specific so you can render your verdict. Let's go to North Africa, she was the chief engineer of the disastrous overthrow of [Muamar] Qaddafi in Libya. Libya today after Hillary Clinton's grand strategy? Their economy's in ruins. There's death and violence on the streets, and ISIS is now dominating that country. — Chris Christie

These esoteric, intellectual debates-I want them to come to New Jersey and sit across from the widows and the orphans and have that conversation, — Chris Christie

I don't disagree with ending Congress' retirement program. I'm a governor; I don't have a retirement program in my state, and I don't disagree with that. — Chris Christie

What do you think the appropriate role of government is in society? The way I look at this job is, you want me to do X? Well, is the private sector doing X with any kind of success? Because if they are, I'd rather have them do it than have us do it. — Chris Christie

Be careful about anybody who's running for president who's going to tell you that they're going to build a wall across the entire southern border. It's not going to happen. It is the wrong message to send. And it's not going to be effective. — Chris Christie

I believe marriage should be between one man and one woman. That's my view, and that'll be the view of our state because I wouldn't sign a bill that - like the one that was in New York. — Chris Christie

We didn't disqualify Hillary Clinton to be President of the United States the facts of her life and career disqualify her. — Chris Christie

I was 32 years old, and I've changed my mind. And the biggest reason that I changed my mind was my seven years as a federal prosecutor. What I learned in those seven years was that we were spending too much time talking about gun laws against law- abiding citizens and not nearly enough time talking about enforcing the gun laws strongly against criminals. — Chris Christie

The first job of the president of the United States is to protect your safety and your security and the security and safety of your family. — Chris Christie

I'm not in the business of satisfying everybody. I'm in the business of trying to satisfy the people who elected me governor. — Chris Christie

When elected, I will make education funding a top priority and I believe
we must ensure those dollars reach our children and the classroom — Chris Christie

We believe - we believe that, if we tell the people the truth, that they will act bigger than the pettiness we see in Washington, D.C. We believe it is possible to forge bipartisan compromise, and stand up for our conservative principles. — Chris Christie

I'm a conservative, pro-life governor in a state where it is really tough to be both. A state like New Jersey, with lots of Democrats, but still we cut taxes, we balanced budgets. We fought the teacher's union. — Chris Christie

And on this you have my pledge - unlike in the past, when you stood up and did what was right, this governor will not pull the rug out from underneath you - I will sign strong reform bills. — Chris Christie

I think people hear the question they want to hear. — Chris Christie

One state retiree, 49 years old, paid, over the course of his entire career, a total of $124,000 towards his retirement pension and health benefits. What will we pay him? $3.3 million in pension payments over his life and nearly $500,000 for health care benefits - a total of $3.8m on a $120,000 investment. — Chris Christie

There are times when people that you put in those positions make mistakes, they disappoint you, you lose their - you lose your confidence in them, or they lie to you. And when you find that out, the test of leadership is what do you do. — Chris Christie

But our leaders of today have decided it's more important to be popular, to say and do what's easy, and say yes rather than to say no, when no is what is required. — Chris Christie

I was appointed United States attorney on September 10, 2001. And I spent the next seven years of my career fighting terrorism and putting terrorists in jail. — Chris Christie

I have a job to do ... If you think right now I give a damn about presidential politics, then you don't know me. — Chris Christie

As a former federal prosecutor, I welcome the opportunity to hold Hillary Rodham Clinton accountable for her performance and her character. — Chris Christie

I was born into a middle class family in New Jersey. My dad came home from serving in the Army after having lost his father, worked in the Breyers ice cream plant in Newark, New Jersey. Was the first person to graduate from college. — Chris Christie

The people of New Jersey stepped up. They shared in the sacrifice. You know what else they did? They rewarded politicians who lead instead of politicians who pandered. — Chris Christie

It is heartbreaking to me that I wasn't told the truth. I'm a very loyal guy, and I expect loyalty in return. And lying to me is not an exhibition of loyalty. — Chris Christie

This is a president [Barack Obama] who came into office in 2008 with a big majority in the House and with a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Because of his policies and his conduct in office, seven years later, we have our largest majority in the House since 1928, and we have a majority in the Senate and we have 31 of the 60 governorships. — Chris Christie

The first thing we need to do to make America stronger is to strengthen our military. — Chris Christie

If you want a candidate who agrees with you 100 percent of the time, I'll give you a suggestion: Go home and look in the mirror. You are the only person you agree with 100 percent of the time ... You'll always know who I am, you'll always know what I believe and you'll always know where I stand. — Chris Christie

I'm making this decision based on whether I believe in my heart that I'm ready to be president of the United States and that I want to be president of the United States right now. — Chris Christie

I'm a former federal prosecutor, I've fought terrorists and won and when we get back in the White House we will fight terrorists and win again and America will be safe. — Chris Christie

I had to make these decisions after 9/11, make a decision about how to proceed forward with an investigation or how to pull back, whether you use certain actionable intelligence or whether not to. And yet they continue to debate about this bill and in the subcommittee and what - nobody in America cares about that. — Chris Christie

Someone has to stay on the line and say, no, we can do this by cutting spending and reducing the size of government. That's what I was committed to doing. — Chris Christie

If anybody ran a business like that they would be out of business quickly, and Barack Obama's leadership is driving this business, the United States of America, toward a fiscal cliff. — Chris Christie

The job of a leader, the job of a governor, the job of a president, is to get the people in the room and bang enough heads together and rub enough arms and cajole enough to have them put the country and the state's greater interest ahead of their own personal partisan interest. That's what we did in New Jersey and that's the model for America. — Chris Christie

Now, do I think there has to be shared sacrifice among other nations in the world who want a stable and secure world? Absolutely, there has to be. But I don't think that America can ever abdicate its leadership role in the world because of who we are and where we've come from. We are the symbol for the world for freedom and liberty. — Chris Christie

Is there any wonder why we are in such big trouble? Any question why the people don't trust their government anymore, and demand a change? — Chris Christie

We're telling small-business owners that not only are we going to raise their costs by a buck and a quarter, but we're also going to raise it with these cost-of-living adjustments. Here's what's going to happen: They're going to have to lay people off. — Chris Christie

You know, I think what the American people want more than anything else right now is someone who's just going to look them in the eye and tell them the truth, even some truths that they don't like. And - but they have to believe the person's speaking from their heart and are authentic. — Chris Christie

Hillary Clinton: putting big government spending financed by the Chinese ahead of good-paying jobs for middle-class Americans. Is she guilty or not guilty? — Chris Christie

The American people are tired. They're tired of the bickering in Washington, D.C., and the lack of action. — Chris Christie

If I missed my moment, I missed my moment. I mean, I wasn't pining to be president of the United States. — Chris Christie

I will make no apologies, ever, for protecting the lives and the safety of the American people. We have to give more tools to our folks to be able to do that, not fewer, and then trust those people and oversee them to do it the right way. As president, that is exactly what I'll do. — Chris Christie

If you're sick, take your sick day. If you don't take your sick day, know what your reward is? You weren't sick - that was the reward. — Chris Christie

Why I call Barack Obama a petulant child. He's doing it on guns. He did it on immigration. He's done it on "Obama care." — Chris Christie

I believe that American engagement, through our embassy, our businesses, and most of all through our people, is the best way to advance our interests and support for democracy and human rights. — Chris Christie

They said it was impossible to touch the third rail of politics, to take on public-sector unions and to reform a pension and health benefits system that was headed to bankruptcy. But with bipartisan leadership, we saved taxpayers $132 billion dollars over 30 years and saved retirees their pensions. We did it. — Chris Christie

Here is their plan. Whistle a happy tune while driving us off a fiscal cliff as long as they are behind the wheel of power when we fall. — Chris Christie

If you're the King of Jordan, if you're a part of the royal family in Saudi Arabia and he's made this deal with Iran which gives them $150 billion to wage a war and try to extend their empire across the Middle East, why would you want to do it now? When I stand across from King Hussein of Jordan and I say to him, "You have a friend again sir, who will stand with you to fight this fight," he'll change his mind. — Chris Christie

Terrorism - radical jihadist terrorism is not theoretical to me. It's real. And for seven years, I spent my life protecting our country against another one of those attacks. You won't have to worry when I'm President of the Untied States whether that can be done because I've already done it. I want the chance to do it again to protect you, your children and your families. — Chris Christie

The argument for getting our own house in order is not an argument for turning our back on the world. We cannot and should not do that. — Chris Christie

In the eight years before I became governor, there was zero net private sector job growth in New Jersey. Zero. For eight years. — Chris Christie

We are not hiding things from the American people, but China everyday is conducting business in a way that hides things from their people. — Chris Christie

Since the Justice Department refuses to allow you to render a verdict, I'm going to present the case now, on the facts, against Hillary Rodham Clinton. — Chris Christie