Not long after former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was released from the hospital, he went on a small media tour, preaching the importance of wearing masks to avoid contraction of COVID-19. It included a visit to SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Unleashed, hosted by his friend Christopher Russo.
Joining Mad Dog on-air, Christie acknowledged he believes not wearing a mask is the reason he caught the virus. The former Governor of New Jersey noted the timing of his symptoms likely means he contracted COVID while helping President Trump with debate prep, and not at the White House hosted “superspreader event” from Sept. 26.
According to Christie, he was very careful for seven months because New Jersey was a hotbed for the virus and because of his asthma history, but he “let his guard down” being around the president where he believed each person was tested daily.
Christie, who spent a week in the hospital, called his symptoms mild because his breathing didn’t become an issue, but he also noted it was “worse than the worst flu you ever had.” Christie also believes the experimental treatment he received from doctors may have kept his breathing from becoming problematic.
“It was a mistake not to wear the mask during that period of time,” Christie told Russo of his debate prep with President Trump. “When you’re a leader you stand up and say to people, ‘look, this is something I did that turned out to be a mistake, that turned out to be wrong and I want you to learn from it.’ And I hope the people who follow me and care what I have to say about things, they’ll hear that and learn from it.”
Although he was never openly against mask-wearing, Christie’s leadership was previously more in lockstep with the president and less focused on slowing the spread of COVID. During an appearance on Mad Dog Unleashed in May, Christie strongly vouched for people to get back to work and states to reopen, telling Russo, “if we let the epidemiologists of the world run this world, we’re gonna stay in our houses until there’s a vaccine.”
Using a sports analogy, Christie compared the final two weeks of the presidential race to Biden running the four corners offense popularized by the late UNC head coach Dean Smith. Biden’s “passing the ball around and passing the ball around and hoping nobody turns it over,” Christie said.
Christie chuckled when Russo asked if Trump is a clear underdog, responding with “the sand is running through the hourglass.” He called the president a “moderate underdog,” despite the polls showing a wider gap, but Christie believes it’s important for Trump to “stay disciplined,” rather than run a smear campaign in the final days leading up to the election.
