Christie shrugs off lack of debate airtime

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie  argued on Thursday that he is a more credible GOP presidential candidate than New York business mogul Donald Trump while shrugging off a lack of airtime during the second GOP presidential debate.

{mosads}“I think I’d make a better president than him,” Christie said on CNN’s “New Day.”

“The truth is, Donald’s a friend, and I like him,” he said. “My fight’s not with him — my fight’s with Hillary Clinton.”

“My fight is with what Barack Obama has done the last eight not years, not Donald Trump,” the New Jersey governor added.

Christie said on Thursday that CNN did a good job handling the large pack of contenders during the second GOP presidential debate the night before.

“I like that we were engaging each other,” he said. “It was just every once in a while one or two candidates was just running everybody else over.”

“I’ve always been a guy who is about quality over quantity,” Christie added. “When I get my moments, I’m going to make the most of them.”

A New York Times analysis found that Trump, the GOP front-runner, received the most speaking time of any candidate with 20 minutes and seven seconds. Christie received 13 minutes and 14 seconds of speaking time during Wednesday night’s debate.

Christie also said on Thursday that former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina interrupted too often.

“She’s got one place on stage, not two or three,” Christie said. “Don’t interrupt me, and don’t interrupt the other candidates.

“I’m happy to hear what you have to say, but just be courteous,” he added of Fiorina.

Christie, who stands at 11th place in the crowded GOP field, admonished Fiorina and Trump for arguing about their respective business backgrounds during Wednesday evening’s debate.

He argued that the pair’s battle ignores the needs of everyday Americans for a petty personal standoff instead.

Christie joked earlier this month that he may “go nuclear” if he didn’t get enough attention during the debate.

“Stay tuned, on Sept. 16, I may be changing tactics,” Christie told Jimmy Fallon. “If I get to, like, 15 questions in a row … you’re gonna go, ‘Uh-oh, he’s going to go nuclear now.’ “

— This report was updated at 9:00 a.m.