Donald Trump and Chris Christie (Getty)
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who was one of the first mainstream Republicans to endorse Donald Trump, said that the real estate mogul is not a racist, even after Trump’s comments on Judge Gonzalo Curiel. That’s in stark contrast to the remarks made by House Speaker Paul Ryan earlier today.
“I’ve said this before, that I know Donald Trump, I’ve known him for 14 years, and Donald Trump is not a racist,” Christie said, reports NJ.com. “The allegations that he is are absolutely contrary to every experience that I’ve had with him over the last 14 years, so we’re going to end it there.”
Trump has been widely criticized for insisting that Curiel cannot be an objective judge in the lawsuits against Trump University because he is of Mexican descent. Ryan, who endorsed Trump earlier this week, said that the comments are “indefensible” and the “textbook definition” of racism.
Christie also said that Lindsey Graham “lost any credibility he had” by telling the New York Times that Republicans should un-endorse Trump after the Curiel comments.
“In the end, there’s always going to be conflicts regarding civil lawsuits, people are always going to express their opinions. Those are Donald’s opinions and he has the right to express them,” Christie said today.
The governor later told the reporters that, “Quite frankly, I think you all are paying too much attention to this.”
Christie also tried to downplay a new Quinnipiac Poll that shows only 29 percent of New Jersey voters approve of his job performance. The poll found that only 18 percent believe that Trump should pick Christie as his running mate.
