In an appearance on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” on Wednesday, Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), a candidate for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, took aim at President Barack Obama for his lack of reaction to the 10 U.S. sailors captured by Iran on Tuesday in his State of the Union address later in the evening.
Christie called Obama a failure and criticized the substance of his state of the union address, which failed to mention that and other threats facing the United States.
“I think we need to thank God for the fact that they are healthy and they are fine and they’re back in the hands of their fellow citizens and that is important,” Christie said. “But, listen, this is a display of — by the Iranians of how little they respect this president and how weak this president truly is, that on the day of his State of the Union address, they would take this kind of provocative action and jail American service men and women is outrageous. And this is why the American people are so nervous, why they are scared and anxiety-ridden over our place in the world and what it means for our own safety and the safety of their fellow citizens. This president has just failed us. And when you listened to that speech last night, I am telling you, it’s like it’s story time with Barack Obama, because there was absolutely nothing in that speech last night that wasn’t about the world the way the president wishes it was. I see the world the way it is and we need to change it.”
Christie also reacted remarks from White House press secretary Josh Earnest, who took aim at the New Jersey governor for his state of the state speech that criticized Obama.
“I am glad that Josh Earnest is speaking about me again,” he added. “Here, I’ll give the message right back to Josh. That’s because I live in the real world, Josh. And you boss your boss in fantasy land. I mean, this is a guy who might as well be at Epcot Center, not be in the White House. It’s absolutely outrageous. I mean, when you hear him last night say that our Syria policy is working, you know, Maria, tell the 250,000 dead Syrians that the policy is working. Tell the Syrian refugees, who are running for lives to Europe and to other parts of the Middle East. I mean, right now, the fourth largest city in Jordan is a refugee camp, and this, the president says, our Syria policy is working. This is a guy who says that ISIS is being over estimated by us., Well, tell the families of the 130 dead people in Paris that we are overestimating them. Tell the families of the 14 dead folks in San Bernardino that we are overestimating them. And tell the families of the folks who were killed in Turkey that we are overestimating them. This president in his own world. We should life him a lifetime pass to Disney World. Let him go down there because he doesn’t belong in the White House.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor