New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie became visibly angry when talking about the Black Lives Matter movement's disdain for law enforcement on the presidential campaign trail Wednesday. When it comes to the African American protesters versus the police, Christie said he comes down firmly on the side of the cops.
In response to a question at a town hall in Iowa, Christie praised the law enforcement officials he worked with as a U.S. attorney in New Jersey. He then criticized the Black Lives Matter movement's "calls for the murder of police lives," and said President Obama's decision to "justify" the group is reprehensible.
"Don't call and ask me for a meeting. You're not getting one," Christie said of his message for Black Lives Matter. "When I'm president of the United States, [law enforcement will] finally have a president who will have their back, and have it every day."
The New Jersey governor said he believes all lives matter, including black lives, but expressed exasperation at what he described as the Democratic Party's legitimizing the violent element within the Black Lives Matter movement. Christie's remarks stand in stark contrast to New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, whose words and actions prompted several NYPD officers to turn their backs on him. Christie ranks fifth in the Washington Examiner's most recent GOP presidential power rankings.
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