After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, Governor Chris Christie kicked off the return of time-honored NHIOP tradition, Politics and Eggs. The last time the event was held was on February 7, 2020. President of Saint Anselm College, Dr. Joseph Favazza, began the event by commenting on this day and celebrating its revival. He explained that Bernie Sanders was the last guest for Politics and Eggs on the morning of the democratic debate. “We had no idea that it would be 2 years before our next breakfast together,” said Favazza. “We are delighted to have you here today,” he continued.

Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, ran as a Republican candidate in the 2016 presidential election. As President Donald Trump rose in the party and became the party’s 2016 candidate, Christie was one of the first mainstream Republican figures to endorse him and worked with him in various ways throughout the campaign. The two worked together to prepare Trump for presidential debates in 2016 and 2020. Christie laughed as he explained that he role-played as Hillary Clinton, and later Joe Biden, during these sessions. “I’ll tell you what she never debated better,” he quipped.

In his speech before answering questions from the audience, Christie commented on many important topics facing American politics today. First, the war in Ukraine and how US relations with Russia and China must be carefully evaluated. “As much as I’d like to blame Joe Biden for all of this I can’t, this has been going on since 2008,” he said. Tensions in Eastern Europe have been mounting for some time, and even seemingly subtle actions have contributed to the rising conflict. “When Joe Biden stopped arming Ukrainians when he took office in Jan 2021 it was another signal for Russia,” Christie explained. Additionally, according to Governor Christie, Biden’s removal of troops from Afghanistan sent a message that Biden is afraid of conflict and that could have encouraged Russia to take aggressive action. Christie said that he is not in favor of sending US troops to Ukraine, but noted that America should “help them help themselves” by providing support and arms. 

Many nations have imposed economic sanctions on Russia in an attempt to weaken the nation. In an executive order on March 8, President Biden banned imports of Russian oil, gas, and coal. Environmental issues have been at the forefront of the Biden-Harris administration, including the role of US oil and its relation to inflation. Governor Christie expressed his view that the nation should move towards renewable energy, but that it is unwise to abandon fossil fuels completely at this stage. As the Biden-Harris administration has made efforts to reduce oil production for the sake of the environment, prices have skyrocketed. This could be due to many factors, however, Christie stated that authorizing an oil production pipeline would benefit American families financially. “The market would see that in the future more oil would be coming and the prices would go down,” he explained.

Christie was also critical of US relations with China as a growing, and potentially dangerous, power. “We need to make clear to President Xi that we know he’s helping China despite his public messages. We saw him standing with Putin at the Olympics,” he said. Concern for China taking action against Taiwan, and possibly gaining control of large semiconductor production industries, were voiced by Christie himself and members of the audience. 

Governor Christie continues to speak his mind truthfully about the state of political affairs today, even if it means upsetting some in the Republican party. He was one of the first to acknowledge the genuine loss of the 2020 election and encouraged Trump to go to the inauguration. “I know it hurts but you have to do the right thing because the country is bigger than just you,” he said. Although some Republicans still endorse the idea of a rigged election, it is time to leave that in the past. “We need as a party to look forward. We cannot be a party of settling scores and vendettas for ‘me,’ we have to be a party of creating opportunities for ‘us,’” said Christie. 

Moving on from the 2020 election, the political world is buzzing about potential candidates to become the next President of the United States. There is no definite word on whether or not Governor Christie will or will not throw his hat in the ring for the Republican nomination. Some members of the party may consider running, but only if Trump did not. To those people, Christie said, “if you don’t think you’re good enough to be President then don’t run, it shouldn’t matter who else is in the race.”

Questions of President Joe Biden’s position in the 2024 election were also raised. Governor Christie said that he does not imagine that Biden, who will be 82 at that time, will run again. “He campaigned from home largely because of Covid and he benefited from it,” said Christie. “I’ve known the President since 1983… he is not the same.” Debates over Biden’s mental sharpness have persisted for years and some question whether or not he is up for the task of running the country. Christie predicts that he will announce that he is not running in mid-2023 and that Vice President Kamala Harris will likely run, but not unopposed. Time will tell. Until that time, the NH Institute of Politics looks forward to hosting more in-person events including the 2024 Presidential Debates.