Gov. Chris Christie defended Mitt Romney’s electoral prospects on Meet the Press this morning, though he admitted last night’s result was “clearly disappointing.” “We had a bad week as a campaign and a bad result last night,” Christie said. “So, you pick yourself up, you dust yourself off, and you get to Florida, and you fight. And I still believe Governor Romney is going to win in Florida on the 31st, and he’s going to return to Florida in August as the nominee.”
When host David Gregory asked why Romney seemed unable to connect with voters, Christie replied, “He’s a very reserved guy.” For illustrative purposes, Christie added, “I’m obviously not reserved; he’s very reserved.”
Christie also criticized Newt Gingrich’s preparation for the presidency. “He’s never run anything,” Christie argued. After reviewing Gingrich’s rocky tenure as speaker — complete with an attempted coup and ethics fines — Christie concluded, “I think Newt Gingrich has embarrassed the [Republican] party. . . . Governor Romney never has.”
Asked by Gregory if Gingrich could beat President Obama, however, Christie replied tersely, “Sure.”
Watch the interview below.