Christie on promising entitlement reform: ‘I’m proud I’m the only one of 17 saying it’

New Jersey Governor and Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie said Thursday on “Special Report with Bret Baier” that he’s proud to be the only Republican candidate promising to reform the country’s entitlement programs.

“I will run on it, cause I’ve been talking about it. It was the first speech I gave,” he said. “And I’m proud I’m the only one of 17 saying it, and I hope the others will follow.”

Christie says many voters he’s spoken to agree with him in recognizing the system must be changed.

“I ask people, ‘If you make over 200 thousand dollars a year in retirement income and have four, five million dollars saved, do you really need a social security check? And I will tell you most of the people I talk to in Iowa and New Hampshire shake their head that they don't need it,’” he said. “They know it’s a problem. They know it in their heart, and they don’t have any leaders who are willing to stand up and say it.”

Christie went on to say that, if elected, he will lead Capitol Hill legislators to action.

“You need a strong president who’s going to tell Congress what they need to do. If we wait for Congress to lead, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.”