CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Gov. Chris Christie on Sunday whether there are any plans for President Trump, who is residing in the state of New Jersey, to stop by the gubernatorial beach house, the very same one that last month got Christie into a bit of public relations trouble.
“Look, the president is welcome to the gubernatorial beach house anytime he wants,” Christie replied enthusiastically. “We would welcome him with open arms for him to come take some time at the Jersey Shore.”
Christie, who was already deeply unpopular in his home state, was caught on camera spending the Fourth of July weekend sitting on a New Jersey beach closed to the public because of the state’s brief government shutdown.
The outcry that followed sparked condemnation from Christie’s second-in-command, Kim Guadagno, who is running to succeed Christie as governor this year, and led to two bills being introduced in the state legislature; one that would would close the gubernatorial beach house and another that would keep state parks open during a shutdown.
Christie took Tapper’s question in stride and pivoted to tout his state’s tourism economy and said he was simply “happy” to hear that Trump chose New Jersey, where he is currently staying at his golf resort in Bedminster, “for some relaxation” during August.
