Chris Christie Slams DeSantis For Voting Against Federal Aid For New Jersey – ‘And Now He Wants Aid’ For Florida
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie accused Florida Governor Ron DeSantis of “hypocrisy” for seeking federal disaster aid for his state a decade after voting against it for New Jersey when he was a member of Congress.
DeSantis, who is also running for president, did not meet with President Joe Biden when he visited the state in the wake of Hurricane Idalia.
On Tuesday’s AC360 on CNN, Anderson Cooper asked the former New Jersey governor if DeSantis should have met with Biden. The host also referenced Christie’s meeting with former President Barack Obama after Superstorm Sandy hammered the northeast in 2012. Christie and Obama shook hands and the president placed a hand on the governor’s shoulder.
Over the years, that exchange has become characterized as a “hug,” which was even used against Christie in the first Republican presidential debate.
“What do you think of DeSantis not meeting with Biden when he came down to Florida after the hurricane?” Cooper asked. “I should point out for those who have a short memory, you met with Obama. He was the president at the time. There was criticism there had been a hug. There hadn’t been a hug. I looked a the photo again and there was a handshake.”
“In Jersey, that’s no hug,” Christie replied.
“But it’s just a sign of how politicized these things are because you got hammered that you bear-hugged Obama,” Cooper said.
Christie said he would not have done anything differently and said “of course” DeSantis should have met with Biden.
“Look, we shouldn’t be playing politics with this stuff,” Christie stated. “But Governor DeSantis has always played politics with this. He voted against Sandy aid in 2012 as a member of the House, and now he wants aid. You know, this is the hypocrisy that everybody sees in politics and why they’re looking for someone who will just tell them the truth.”
Watch above via CNN.
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