New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) called ObamaCare a “failure” and a “train wreck” in an interview Monday night.
{mosads}“This is a disaster, and it was a train wreck that anybody who’s managed anything, ever, in their lives, could’ve seen coming,” Christie told New Jersey 101.5 FM.
The comments come in stark contrast to Christie’s previously warm praise for the president’s handling of Hurricane Sandy, and a now-infamous embrace of Obama as the two toured damage after the storm.
He faced heavy criticism for that public show of support for Obama, which some Republicans felt contributed to the party’s loss in the 2012 presidential contest.
Conservatives remain skeptical of Christie, in part due to his initial support for the president.
With a likely 2016 presidential bid on the horizon for the newly reelected governor, however, he’ll face the task of reassuring those conservatives that he aligns with them on most issues, despite governing a deep-blue state.
His criticism of ObamaCare will likely help him build that case.
Christie went on to slam the law as “awful,” and place the blame for it squarely on the president’s shoulders.
“This is just an awful law. It made no sense, and that’s why I didn’t get into a state exchange. And no, I have absolutely no regrets. In fact, I’m really glad that the train wreck’s not mine; it’s his,” he said.
And he added that Obama is “scrambling” after promising Americans they could keep their plans under the health care law.
“This entire ObamaCare program is a failure. It’s a failure, and people are seeing it starkly and clearly right now, and the president is scrambling. He should’ve just told people the truth from the beginning, but you know what if he had, they wouldn’t have passed it. Not even Democrats would’ve passed this,” Christie said.