Chris Christie is currently on the media circuit positioning himself for a potential 2024 presidential run promoting his new book Republican Rescue.
Speaking to CNN’s Dana Bash last night, Christie was asked about his weight. The former New Jersey Governor, who underwent lap-band surgery in 2013, said years of attacks over his size have made him “tougher” and that “after a while, you just learn to deal with it.”
“I could be talking about the Iran nuclear deal and I’ll get a response from somebody on email or Twitter or Facebook or wherever saying, ‘You fat S.O.B. You blah, blah, blah,'” he said. “I’m like, ‘Okay, well, what’s that have to do with the Iran nuclear deal?’ One of the amazing things to me–and like I said, I think it’s made me tougher–is that no one sees that as a problem.”
Christie went on to explain that if a person were to remark about, say, someone’s disability, people would be “appalled”. So why is his weight fair game? To which, we have only this to say:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
To be clear: Christie is totally right. Attacking a person for their weight or any other part of their physical appearance is not OK. And, during his time as Governor of New Jersey, he did sign one of the toughest anti-bullying measures in the country, which is great.
But his words ring hollow when, for years, he’s given his buddy Donald Trump a pass every time he bullies a person for how they look.
Not only did Christie give Trump a pass, he endorsed him for president twice and helped him prepare for his debate with Joe Biden, who, as far as we know, has never mocked anyone’s weight or physical appearance in public.
Christie, who twice vetoed bills acknowledging the dignity of trans people by allowing them to correct their birth certificates, also told Bash that he wouldn’t take back his vote for Trump, even after that deadly January 6 insurrection.
“There’s a lot of people who have weight problems in this country and they look at me and they can relate to me in a different way than people who don’t,” he proclaimed.
Watch.
Here’s what people are saying on Twitter…
Chris Christie attempting to play both ends against the middle and pretend to be a "Trump critic" is working about as well as his Weight Watchers diet.
He doesn't regret endorsing Trump. I hope his book bombs and the pages are used to line critter cages.
— ?Rapunzel™ VAXXED? (@co_rapunzel4) November 16, 2021
I don't agree with @GovChristie's politics but what he said about fatphobia is so spot on. That society today is so careful about how we refer to people or comment on their appearance, but it doesn't apply to fat people.
— Jackie Schwartz (@JSchwartz00) November 16, 2021
The media has not learned any lessons from the last 5 years, Fat ass Chris Christie enabled a bloated orange criminal to ruin this country. Now they are giving him free coverage so he can try to save his image. https://t.co/dfkxljODHY
— Susan Miller (@suezcue2) November 16, 2021
Chris Christie was a Trump supporter until his fat ass caught Covid then he tried to act all morally superior; he’s full of shit, and so are these thirsty cable news stations ????
— Corey Bu-Shea (@coreybking) November 16, 2021
@GovChristie I would never not vote for you because of your weight I would not vote for you because you're a goddamn idiot!
— David Friesen?? (@DavidFr_resists) November 16, 2021
I am in no way excusing people “fat shaming” him, but Chris Christie complaining about childish insults is like David Duke complaint complaining about racism.
— Kid Phantasm (@cbbruuno) November 16, 2021
Somebody needs to tell that fat Chris Christie that we all know he supported tRump at the very beginning. So we ALL question his judgment. Hell, all he can do is close bridges. He’s no leader.
— DumpingDoggy (@ScottyMath22) November 14, 2021
I hate Chris Christie and I hate fat shaming. But his eating must be emotional for him to fluctuate the way he does, so I wonder if he’s sought help for that, instead of constantly trying to make a spectacle of himself. He has the resources and the time.
— Cassandra Maple (@MapleCassandra) November 16, 2021
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
Fahd
I remember when he closed the New Jersey beaches to the public during the summer holidays and then he was photographed on the beach with his family. He looked really fat in his bathing suit. Then I remember when Bridgegate first hit and he gave that hours long press conference misdirecting and denying culpability. He looked quite overweight on the podium. Then I remember him supportively standing behind Trump on the podium during Trump’s speeches when Trump has secured the 2016 election but had not yet selected a running mate. They both looked. Here’s someone who didn’t have enough willpower to lose weight even though he had had lap band surgery. As I understand it, when you have that surgery, if you eat more than you’re supposed to you get physically sick. But if getting sick doesn’t deter you, and you keep eating, you won’t lose weight. The surgery won’t “work”.
And why don’t I appreciatively listen to him pontificating about foreign policy, etc? Gee, I wonder.
Some overweight people may want to vote for him to make a point or to make themselves feel better, but I wouldn’t vote for this chiseler ever. There’s always the write-in option.
whereshouldistart
My mother had that surgery over 30 years ago. I would no longer eat around her because she’d overeat and have to run to the bathroom to vomit.
They fixed her stomach, but they never addressed her mental issue that caused her to eat her emotions.
Heywood Jablowme
Fat people are supposed to be jolly!
Kangol2
I personally don’t care about Christie’s weight. The reality is, he was a TERRIBLE governor of New Jersey. He left the state in a financial shambles and did very little except screw up, and that doesn’t even count Bridgegate and his other scandals. To top it off, he blew off billions of dollars for a rail tunnel to New York that would have benefited both New York and New Jersey, created innumerable jobs, and cost far less than the new tunnel currently will. He basically said, Nope to jobs and badly needed infrastructure.
Christie is an idiot and should not be running anything, which even Don the Con realized. Christie is all bluster and incompetence. He can write all the books he wants, but if he could not competently lead New Jersey, a rich, densely packed state with one of the most diverse populations in the US, he sure in the hell cannot run the US!
winemaker
Let’s get real, chris christie is well, fat. Been there and done that. As a former 350LB plus fatso i don’t take stating this lightly about anyone who’s overweight. Losing weight is difficult, a lifetime struggle and requires discipline that he might not have. Aside from the health issues, he looks terrible and the old adage that overweight people lack discipline is pure BS.. That being said gay men are some of the moist judgmental , rude and downright nasty people and if you don’t fit the mold or if you’re not their ‘type’, you’re ignored and treated with contempt.. Having weighed 350LB until my mid 20’s, I can vouch for this as I’ve been there, the subject of some of the nastiest and judgmental treatment. Now for the political part: granted he was one of the worst governors for new jersey, I really don’t care as this doesn’t affect me as well as his weight is of no consequence to me.
chacha
All this is, is the shell game. Look at me I’m fat but ‘tough’. Please don’t remember that I was buddies with tfg, I was an enabler for him. Please don’t look at my record as for my past voting or ‘issues’ I’ve cared about. Your buddy has mocked Every & Any ‘groups’ possible disabled, reporters, overweight and women. You stood by him for every insane comment, action or other low life shit that comes from tfg. I’ve been over 350+ before, yep pretty fat, nobody should be fat shamed. Im not thin I don’t intend to be, I’m happy at 215. The problem is with a lot of work and determination, a person can ‘fix that. However, there’s really no way to fix stupid. Personally I’d never vote for you I don’t think a dog can change its spots. Just look how far others have fallen just like you. Lindsey, Cruz, geatz, rudy, man the list goes on & on & …….
Creamsicle
The only thing I have to say about Christie’s weight is that it probably stings that the main reason he was passed over for VP, or any significant position in the Trump administration, was because he’s fat and DJT hates fat people, despite being morbidly obese himself. Trump’s shallowness and the threat that Christie might pose to hogging the spotlight meant that Christie was left with nothing after playing Whipping Boy for Trump before any other Republican political p r o s t i t u t e.
johncp56
Playing both ends as a politician is not a good look, he only made a general comment on the 2020 election, he does not face tRump and his con farm, of wht men… and magnitude of lies from tRump during 2016-2020
joverit
always the poor victim of something du jour with these special need wipes
Cam
Major media keeps ignoring the investigative report from Rolling Stone that exposed multiple Republicans in Congress as taking part in the planning of the January 6th attack.
But they’re ALL helping Chris Christie to rehabilitate his image.
Media is owned by Republicans.