On Tuesday, CBS This Morning aired a friendly interview with co-host Gayle King and Governor Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat. The CBS host did try to hit the Republican from the left on gun control but failed miserably.
After King asked Christie about the state of the 2016 race she asked “[y]ou all have children in college, high school, middle school, so school shootings certainly must hit close to home. But yet you seem to be reluctant to embrace tighter gun control laws, why is that?”
For his part, the New Jersey governor pushed back against King’s lefty question on guns and stressed that more gun control laws won't stop mass shootings:
Because I don't think that they work. That’s the problem Gayle. I think the problem here is mental health. Take one of those last shooters who stole the gun as we know from his mom....Right, now there is not a gun control law on the books, now or proposed that would have prevented that, unless the people who knew that that young man was disturbed went to the authorities and got him involuntarily committed. And if you were in a hospital, rather than on the streets, those people may not have been killed in Connecticut.
The rest of the interview featured King asking Mr. And Mrs. Christie about their relationship and how they balance family and work life but the CBS co-host did hit the Republican presidential candidate over his low poll numbers compared to front-runner Donald Trump:
Why do you think Donald Trump is resonating with so many people at this particular time...Is that how you see him, as a reality TV star, not a smart, astute, businessman?...But right now the polls are not in you favor...And how are you, I’m not rubbing it in, but they’re not in your favor, even the residents in your own state are not saying Chris Christie is our guy.
See relevant transcript below.
CBS This Morning
October 27, 2015
GAYLE KING: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie sits in 11th place this morning. CBS News/New York Times polls, according to that poll, and that is a long way from a certain other blunt talking presidential candidate from the northeast. Some polls suggest that Christie is being hurt by Donald Trump, more than any own Republican in the 2016 race. The governor and his wife Mary Pat invited us to their New Jersey home last week. We talked about his family, his recent comments on gun control and tough competition on the campaign trail. Why do you think Donald Trump is resonating with so many people at this particular time.
CHRIS CHRISTIE: Listen, I think Donald first off is a reality TV star. We never had a reality TV star run for president before.
KING: Is that how you see him, as a reality TV star, not a smart, astute, businessman?
CHRISTIE: No, he's that, too. But we’ve had many smart and astute businessmen run for president before. The difference here is, this is somebody who comes in with nearly 100 name identification because they were on a very popular TV show. And the people who know him and they generally like him. And they love the character that he played on the show. And so those are all things that are advantages that no one else in the race has.
KING: But right now the polls are not in you favor.
CHRISTIE: Yeah, I noticed.
KING: And how are you, I’m not rubbing it in, but they’re not in your favor, even the residents in your own state are not saying Chris Christie is our guy.
CHRISTIE: Yeah.
KING: That’s got to sting a little bit.
CHRISTIE: No, it’s kind of natural. No, it’s kind of natural.
KING: How is it natural governor?
CHRISTIE: If you look because when you say you want to lead and take another job, people get offended. They wonder, why doesn’t he want to stay here forever? Well, I'm term limited and I’m going to need a few job after 2017. And if I decide I want to stay in public life this is the only other job I am interested in.
KING: You all have children in college, high school, middle school, so school shootings certainly must hit close to home. But yet you seem to be reluctant to embrace tighter gun control laws, why is that?
CHRISTIE: Because I don't think that they work. That’s the problem Gayle. I think the problem here is mental health. Take one of those last shooters who stole the gun as we know from his mom.
KING: Yeah.
CHRISTIE; Right, now there is not a gun control law on the books, now or proposed that would have prevented that, unless the people who knew that that young man was disturbed went to the authorities and got him involuntarily committed. And if you were in a hospital, rather than on the streets, those people may not have been killed in Connecticut.
