Chris Christie says President Donald Trump is a stubborn old man.
The former Governor of New Jersey who once headed the Trump transition team says that the President, 72, is at an age where no amount of persuasion will convince him to change his mind.
‘When people get older, they become more and more convinced of the fact that what they’re doing is the right thing and it becomes harder to convince them otherwise,’ Christie, who was rumored to be in line for the Attorney General position, said on ABC’s This Week on Sunday.
Christie referred to Trump as a ’72-year-old relative.’
Chris Christie, the former Governor of New Jersey who once headed the Trump transition team, says that President Donald Trump, 72, is at an age where no amount of persuasion will convince him to change his mind
Christie referred to Trump as a ’72-year-old relative.’ He was discussing the role of incoming White House Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney
Christie appeared on a panel of television commentators to discuss the tumultuous week at the White House, which included the naming of Mick Mulvaney as acting Chief of Staff, the removal of Defense Secretary James Mattis, and the announcement of a rapid troop withdrawal from Syria.
There was also the partial government shut down, which came about after Congress refused the President’s demand for billions of dollars toward funding a border wall.
When asked about Mulvaney’s job description as Acting Chief of Staff, Christie said the best thing to do is let Trump be Trump.
‘I was encouraged by hearing him say he wasn’t going to try to manage the president,’ Christie told ABC News.
‘I think that one of the mistakes – I think a very well-intentioned mistake that Gen. Kelly made is that he tried to manage the president.
‘I don’t think you can do that.’
‘Manage the things you can manage,’ Christie said.
‘And if Mick does that, I think he’ll be successful. If he doesn’t, it’ll be hard.’
Mulvaney, who also appeared on This Week on Sunday, says he and Trump ‘joked’ about a 2016 video in which he calls his future boss a ‘terrible human being.’
Mulvaney, who has served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, was asked about the now-viral clip.
‘Look, I think what’s wrong with Washington, D.C. – people spend a lot more time looking at what people say instead of what they do,’ Mulvaney said.
Mulvaney says he and Trump ‘joked’ about a 2016 video in which the next acting White House Chief of Staff calls his future boss a ‘terrible human being.’
Audio and video emerged of Mulvaney trashing Trump during the 2016 campaign – even as he endorsed him over rival Hillary Clinton. Mulvaney is seen right alongside his Democratic opponent, Fran Person, during the race for South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District seat
The former South Carolina Republican says Trump ‘knows that I have been fighting with him to fight for ordinary Americans for the last two years.’
‘He likes having me around and I like working for him,’ Mulvaney says.
Trump this month tapped Mulvaney to serve as his ‘acting’ Chief of Staff, following an awkward search after his announcement that Chief of Staff John Kelly will be leaving shortly.
Soon after he revealed the choice this month, audio and video emerged of Mulvaney trashing Trump during the 2016 campaign – even as he endorsed him over rival Hillary Clinton.
It may have hit a nerve.
According to Axios, Trump recently asked an adviser, ‘Did you know [Mulvaney] called me “a terrible human being” back during the campaign?’
The was a reference to a debate video where Mulvaney did, in fact, call Trump a ‘terrible human being.’
Trump was ‘furious’ when he saw the video, according to the account.
It quoted a spokeswoman saying the recording was from before Mulvaney met Trump – implying it would not be a breach of friendship.