About 150 people turned out in Alden in Hardin County yesterday to hear New Jersey Governor and Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie, who’s on a two-day campaign swing through the state.
Christie leveled hard-hitting criticism at the Obama administration, particularly in foreign policy.
Christie says the president focused on climate change more than the trouble spots around the world.
“Libya is on fire, Syria is on fire, Iraq’s on fire,” Rastetter says. “Egypt’s under martial law, Iran is moving toward a nuclear weapon, all on this president’s watch.”
Christie also cites what he calls excessive regulations under the Obama administration, and he says he will fire all Obama appointees on his first day in office.
Some of his harshest criticism was directed at the Obama administration’s fight against terrorism.
“Nothing will work in this country unless the president does his first job which is to protect the safety and security of the American people,” Christie says to applause. “So we will do that.”
On other issues, Christie outlined his plans to means-test social security benefits. He calls for tracking immigrants who come to the U.S. on visas and then overstay their permit.
He defended his recent remarks that immigrants could be tracked like FedEx packages.
“That’s an analogy," Christie says.
Christie has visited the state fewer times than many other candidates. He promised the crowd he will be back in Iowa “a lot.”
Christie spoke at Iowa business leader Bruce Rastetter’s town hall series at his company’s corporate offices in Alden.
Rastetter praised what he calls Christie’s blunt and direct style. The agribusiness executive is expected to announce his support of the Christie campaign at a news conference in Des Moines today.
