Chris Christie Tuesday shrugged off a much-maligned hug with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, saying he's a "kind, warm, wonderful person" who hugs many people.
And then, while trading places with Donald Trump, who was being interviewed just after him in a Manchester, New Hampshire diner during
Fox News' "Fox and Friends" program, he shook hands with his GOP presidential rival — and
briefly hugged him too.
"I'll tell you this much, when I get on the stage with Sen. Clinton in September, she'll know I'm there, and she'll know I'm representing the Republican Party in a different point of view from her," the New Jersey Republican and GOP presidential candidate told Fox News.
On Sunday, when
Clinton and Christie were both on CNN's "State of the Union" program, they hugged each other upon meeting and a supporter for Marco Rubio posted the photo online. Christie said Tuesday that he was merely saying hello to Clinton, and he's hugged "thousands" of people over the years.
And when it comes to Rubio, Christie has been hitting him hard over his experience, but he denied Tuesday that it's personal.
"The American people have a right to know who's ready to take on Hillary Clinton," he said. "Who's ready to be president of the United States and who isn't. My whole intent from last week through the debate and through today is to let people know, I'm ready, I'm tested, I'm prepared and mature and I'm ready to beat her. I'm ready to be president and Sen. Rubio is simply not."
But he demurred on Trump, who has never held political office, when it came to whether the front-runner is more ready to be president than Rubio, saying it is a "close call."
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