110+ Chris Christie Quotes (Influential, Controversial And Pragmatic)

Chris Christie is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. He is a member of the Republican Party and was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 election. Christie was also a United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2002 to 2008.

Top 10 Chris Christie Quotes

1. There is only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims: the House majority and their Speaker John Boehner.
2. 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.
3. The greatness of America is in the American people. And what we need to do is get the government the hell out of the way and let the American people win once again.
4. They believe in teachers unions. We believe in teachers.
5. You see, Mr. President - real leaders don't follow polls. Real leaders change polls.
6. You know, something may be going down tonight, but it ain’t going to be jobs, sweetheart!
7. 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.
8. I am who I am, but I am not a bully.
9. You just have to stand and grit your teeth and know your poll numbers are going to go down - and mine have - but you gotta grit through it because the alternative is unacceptable.
10. Higher taxes is the road to ruin. We must and we will shrink our government, and that means making some tough choices, tightening our belts.

Chris Christie Short Quotes

• Everyone wants to demagogue everyone else. That may be good politics, but it's awful policy.
• Common Core has been eliminated in New Jersey.
• The president needs to be a force that is trusted in the world.
• He [Doanald Trump] had no business being president of the United States.
• What we need in Washington now is a strong Republican president who knows how to govern.
• I never wrote a check to Planned Parenthood.
• Dammit, America is a hellhole and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
• You need a strong, tough leader to restore America's greatness. This is the best person to do that.
• Leadership is not about me, it's about our country.
• The answer is I am not committed to doing anything in a new administration or not.

Chris Christie Famous Quotes And Sayings

Our state is in crisis. Our people are hurting. Now is the time when we all must resist the traditional, selfish call to protect your own turf at the cost of our state. It is time to leave the corner, join the sacrifice, come to the center of the room and be part of the solution. — Chris Christie

The truth was you can't continue to spend the kind of money our spending on all these entitlement programs. I think we need more people in public life who are willing to say, no, we can't afford certain things. No, we can't do certain things. — Chris Christie

This country pays a price whenever our economy fails to deliver rising living standards to our citizens - which is exactly what has been the case for years now. We pay a price when our political system cannot come together and agree on the difficult but necessary steps to rein in entitlement spending or reform our tax system. — Chris Christie

The three top issues have to be restoring jobs and private sector job growth to our country, getting the entitlement mess under control, and restoring back to our country a sense of self-confidence that Americans can achieve whatever we want to achieve. — Chris Christie

Given my last position, that I was the first U.S attorney post 9/11 in New Jersey, I understand acutely the pain and sorrow and upset of the family members who lost loved ones that day at the hands of radical Muslim extremists. And their sensitivities and concerns have to be taken into account. — Chris Christie

I know we can fix our problems. When there are people in the room who care more about doing the job they were elected to do than they worry about winning reelection, it is possible to work together, achieve principal compromise, and get results for the people who give us these jobs in the first place. — Chris Christie

The rule for effective governance is simple. It is one Ronald Reagan knew by heart. And one that he successfully employed with Social Security and the Cold War. When there is a problem, you fix it. That is the job you have been sent to do and you cannot wait for someone else to do it for you. — Chris Christie

Listen, Mr. President, there's a no-fly zone in Syria. You fly in, it applies to you. And, yes, we would shoot down the planes of Russian pilots if, in fact, they were stupid enough to think that this president was the same feckless weakling that the president we have in the oval office is right now. — 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

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

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

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

I have another question: Hillary Clinton, lying to the American people about her selfish, awful judgment in making our secrets vulnerable.Guilty or not guilty? — Chris Christie

Let's go to Russia. She [Hillary Clinton] went to the Kremlin on her very first visit and gave them that stupid symbolic reset button. — Chris Christie

Today we must make a pact with each other to end this reckless conduct with the people's government. — Chris Christie

We talk about our military being degraded over time, and yet we've had folks who've been a part of Congress who have participated in sequester; who participated in the degrading of this military over time. — Chris Christie

Today, the biggest challenge we must meet is the one we present to ourselves. To not become a nation that places entitlement ahead of accomplishment. To not become a country that places comfortable lies ahead of difficult truths. To not become a people that thinks so little of ourselves that we demand no sacrifice from each other. — Chris Christie

Hillary Rodham Clinton was America's chief diplomat. So let's look around at the violence and danger in our world today in every region of the world that has been infected with her flawed judgment. — 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

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

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

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

We need to focus our attention on Iran, because if you miss Iran, you are not going to get ISIS. The two are inextricably connected because one causes the other. — Chris Christie

I would rather die than be in the United States Senate. I would be bored to death. Could you imagine me, banging around that chamber with 99 other people, asking for a motion on the amendment in the subcommittee? Forget it...You'd watch me just walk out and walk right into the Potomac River and drown. That would be it. — 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

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

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

Donald Trump has been saying that I think for as long as I've been listening to him of late, and that's what he's going to do. — 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

This type of discourse in the campaign is just unwarranted. But it was started by Ms.[Hillary] Clinton. Ms. Clinton has started the idea of calling Donald Trump those types of names [bigot]. — Chris Christie

This president [Barack Obama ] has seen personnel records of people who have sacrificed for the American people and for the federal government stolen by the Chinese and he's done nothing in return. — Chris Christie

Never be easy for any president to deal with any Congress. But republicans got to work together. We got to get things done. — Chris Christie

I think America needs lots of tough people. Not just me. I think America needs to get tougher, all of us. — 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

She supported a deal that didn't even require this murderous regime to return a cop killer, JoAnne Chesimard, to face justice. See I know about this personally. — Chris Christie

If the Chinese commit cyberwarfare against us, they are going to see cyberwarfare like they have never seen before. — Chris Christie

When I think about the folks who are out there at home tonight watching... They know that this country is not respected around the world anymore. They know that this country is pushing the middle class, the hardworking taxpayers, backwards, and they saw a president who doesn't understand their pain, and doesn't have any plan for getting away from it. — Chris Christie

This is a guy [Donald Trump] who has been very consistent on no amnesty, no legalization, for folks who have been coming to the country illegally. — 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

The fact of the matter is, we need to have a very clear message. We haven't had that from the current president. And you've seen the violence in his home city of Chicago. This is just another example. — Chris Christie

Reversed [Hillary Clinton's] position on charter schools, reversed her position on changing the way our urban education is run, because she has sold out to the teachers union. — Chris Christie

Donald Trump wants to look at this situation [with immigrants] and deal with it in a humane way, and quite frankly, you know, I think this is the kind of thing people expect from a president of the United States. — Chris Christie

Our party has failed in going in to those places because we`ve said, well, we don`t get instant gratification back. So therefore, why go there. And we need to go there, show up and campaign in places where we`re uncomfortable. — Chris Christie

What is Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton done to this country? That the most basic responsibility of an administration is to protect the safety and security of the American people. — Chris Christie

When the president of the United States says he's going to do something, he needs to do it. That makes not only our adversaries more emboldened. It makes our allies more nervous. — Chris Christie

This is a difference between being a governor and being in a legislature. Because when something doesn't work in New Jersey, they look at me, say: "Why didn't it get done? Why didn't you do it?" You have to be responsible and accountable. — Chris Christie

It's not that I'm universally loved. We know I'm not in New Jersey. But what they do say in New Jersey is, 'We like him, and we think he's telling us the truth.' I think we need to have that type of politics on the national level. — 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'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

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

When we empower Iran, then get ready for more unrest and more murder and more violence in the Middle East. — Chris Christie

I am proud to say that the voice of the people of our nation is being heard in this hall and those voices want Donald Trump to be the next President of the United States. — 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

You know, at some point there has to be parity. There has to be parity between what is happening in the real world, and what is happening in the public sector world. — 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

I would not compromise my principles for politics. You're saying, will it become politically unpopular to have the position I'm having? If it does, so be it. I don't compromise my principles for politics. — Chris Christie

America has been betrayed. We've been betrayed by the leadership that Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton have provided to this country over the last number of years. Think about just what's happened today. — Chris Christie

Insisting that we must tax and take and demonize those who have already achieved the American Dream. That may turn out to be a good re-election strategy for President Obama, but is a demoralizing message for America. — 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

Everybody in America has to be part of a shared sacrifice to create opportunity for greatness again for our people and our country. — 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

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

People have an absolute right to believe what they want to believe and to say what they want to say, and churches have an absolute protection to preach and do and not do whatever they choose to do within their houses of worship. But nondiscrimination laws apply to the commercial marketplace and they do protect all of us. — Chris Christie

I am pro-life, I believe in exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. That's my position, take it or leave it. — Chris Christie

Sometimes people need to be told to sit down and shut up. — Chris Christie

You know what I think that button [in Kremlin] should have read? It should've read "delete." Y'know, she [Hillary Clinton] is very good at that by the way. — Chris Christie

I was appointed U.S. attorney by President [George] Bush on September 10th, 2001, and the world changed enormously the next day, and that happened in my state.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. — Chris Christie

As we all grow and we get older, there are always little changes about our personality that happen. — Chris Christie

Remember, this is a binary choice. It's going to be the approach that Donald Trump takes or the approach that Hillary Clinton takes, not some other approach. And the Clinton approach is just a completely unacceptable one, it's an unlawful one. — Chris Christie

I'd rather have my teeth drilled than listen to that awful song, 'Fly, Eagles Fly.' — Chris Christie

I love to hug my children. I love to tell them I love them every day before they leave for school or before I leave for work. And I think that's the most important thing you can do as a father is to make sure that your children know they're loved. — 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

Since the president's [Barack Obama] lost all of that [majority in Senate], he now has decided he's just going to write laws on his own. He's going to give us edicts, as if he's a king. And that is a petulant child. He's refusing to listen to the will of the American people, which is they reject his policies. — 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

Hillary Clinton said there was no marked classified information on her server. The FBI Director said that's untrue.She said that she did not email any classified information. The FBI Director says that's untrue. — Chris Christie

You have to do more than just talk about work. You have to really reward the people who are out there doing it. — Chris Christie

I think what he [Donald Trump] has said is that people are not going to be eligible for legalization or citizenship unless they leave the country and get back in line. — Chris Christie

The message [of Donald Trump ] is that if anybody lives in those circumstances in this country, that's something that the government should be working to try to change. — Chris Christie

I think what Donald [Trump] is saying is that it's unacceptable to him that members of the African-American community - and I'm sure he will say this about other communities as well - who live in violence, who are subject of that, or who do not have the educational opportunities that every child in this country should have so they can reach their fullest potential, that that's unacceptable. — 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

Governor Romney has been a great success in business. He has been a great success as executive, as governor of Massachusetts. I think that's the kind of guy we want in the White House. — 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 think what you expect of every candidate and ultimately of a president is to listen to the facts and to deal with things in a way that's smart and direct. I'm confident that's exactly what President [Donald] Trump will do. — 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

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

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

I think that when you have any folks in our population who live under the threat of violence, who live under the threat of crime, who don't have the opportunity that others have because the schools in our urban areas are a dreaded failure, because of the positions that Hillary Clinton has taken and the people who support her, that I think any candidate should speak out to say that that type of thing is unacceptable. — Chris Christie

It's perfectly legal in this country to change your mind. But when you're a governor, you have to admit it. You can't hide behind parliamentary tricks. That's the difference, and that's the kind of leader we need in the White House. Stop the Washington bull and let's get things done. — Chris Christie

I believe in my heart that I am ready to work to restore America to its rightful place in the world. — Chris Christie

That's 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

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

The fact is that [Hillary Clinton] has been the person who started this type of conversation in the campaign. She should be ashamed of herself. — Chris Christie

I've said consistently, the advice I give to Donald is to Donald [Trump]. And that's based upon our friendship over the last 14 years and the way I would expect to. — 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

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

Life Lessons by Chris Christie

1. Chris Christie has taught us the importance of staying true to your convictions and standing up for what you believe in, even in the face of adversity.
2. He has also demonstrated the power of hard work and dedication in achieving success, showing that with enough effort anything is possible.
3. Finally, Christie has highlighted the importance of communication and collaboration in achieving political goals, as well as the need to be open to compromise when necessary.