Asked to explain the appeal of Donald Trump, GOP presidential candidate and N.J. Gov. Chris Christie gave an animated response today at a campaign event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“Everyone in Washington is a loser. I’m a winner. I’ll win in Washington. Everyone else is a loser,” Christie said, mocking Trump.
Christie offered a straightforward explanation for Trump’s appeal: “Because people are angered and disgusted with government in Washington, D.C., that’s why.”
He then added that he and his wife Mary Pat have been friends with Trump for 15 years and described Trump as "a generous guy, and a nice guy.”
Donald Trump Models 'Deportation Force' After Inhumane Eisenhower Plan, Scholar Says Fourth Republican Undercard Debate: 7 Moments That Mattered These Candidates Bet It All on New Hampshire at Their Own Risk"And you know, what you see on TV by the way is what you actually get,” Christie continued. "People ask Mary Pat and I all the time when they find out we’ve been friends with him for that long, what’s he really like, I’m like, 'That’s it man. That is it.'"
He then told the story of the last time he and Mary Pat went out to dinner with Trump and his wife Melania, describing the experience as "exhausting" because Trump never stops talking.
"You sit down, he starts talking, he keeps talking while he’s eating, he keeps talking when the check comes, and he talks to you all the way to the car and about himself. That’s it,” Christie said.
Christie went on to say that he’s told Trump directly that he doesn’t think he has the right skill set to be president.
"I’ve told him this to his face, so I’m not saying anything now that I haven’t said to Donald," Christie explained. "I said ‘Donald, you don’t want this job, this does not play to your skill set. If the speaker of the House is opposed to one of your bills, you can’t fire him.’ It’s just not the way it works man.”
“I want this,” Christie said, dropping his voice a couple of octaves to imitate Trump.
“No,” Christie said, in the imagined conversation.
“You’re fired,” Christie then said, again imitating Trump, and evoking audience laughter.
Trump responded to Christie's comments in a statement provided to ABC News.
"Chris Christie obviously understands I am a super high-energy person. This is what our country needs! We don't need low energy people -- too many problems for that," Trump said.