TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie came to President Donald Trump’s defense Sunday, arguing the president did not question the nation’s moral superiority over Russia despite saying the U.S. has “a lot of killers.”
“I know exactly what he meant by those comments yesterday,” Christie said on “Face the Nation.”
The governor was referring to Trump’s interview with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly. In an excerpt of the exchange that was released Saturday, Trump reiterated he had respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I do respect him. Well, I respect a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean I’ll get along with them,” Trump told O’Reilly.
3 things from Christie’s O’Reilly interview
Trump explained he thought it was better to “get along with Russia than not” to help fight terrorism. But during his response, O’Reilly pressed the president, declaring “Putin is a killer.”
“There are a lot of killers. We have a lot of killers,” Trump responded. “Well, you think our country is so innocent?”
The full interview is slated to air ahead of the Super Bowl.
But during his Sunday morning interview, Christie defended Trump.
“He believes that the leaders of countries deserve to get treated with respect,” Christie said. “It doesn’t mean he won’t stand up to him.”
Trump was simply pushing back at O’Reilly during the interview, not questioning the nation’s moral standing, Christie said.
“When he’s being challanged, he likes to challenge back,” he said. “I know President Trump believes America is morally superior to Russia.”
Christie’s “Face the Nation” appearance was the latest in a string of televised interviews the governor has given this week. Christie appeared on MSNBC and Fox News earlier in the week.
Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook.
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