Chris Christie, a 2024 presidential candidate, shares views on issues at town hall event

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican presidential candidate, touched on a number of topics recently in a "Conversation with the Candidate" town hall event in New Hampshire.Watch the full conversation in the video player above or the links below. Included is a 30-minute, online-only portion of the conversation:Watch Part 1: Christie blasts Trump, Biden over their families’ wealth gainsWatch Part 2: Christie wonders why other Republicans won't confront Trump moreWatch online exclusive: Christie says he, Scott might be only Republicans who seek unityConversation with the Candidate is a town hall-style program recorded in advance of when it airs. It is intended to allow the candidate to convey their points of view on a wide range of topics. During the program, the moderator may challenge the candidates' assertions, but every fact may not be checked in real-time. Hearst Television is committed to holding the candidates accountable on their claims throughout the election cycle.Learn more about Christie's backgroundChristie served two terms as New Jersey's governor from 2010 to 2018.During his time in office, Christie said his administration focused on fiscal responsibility, job creation and education reform. He received widespread praise for his handling of Superstorm Sandy.Before his two terms as governor, Christie was the U.S. attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008, prosecuting dozens of high-profile cases, including several state officials for corruption.He also worked in private practice as a partner for a Cranford law firm.Since his time in public office, Christie has been serving as a political analyst for ABC News.Christie, who ran for president in 2016, said during his campaign launch that he believes he is the only candidate who can stop former President Donald Trump from reclaiming the Republican nomination.The former governor led Trump's commission on combating drug addiction and the opioid crisis.Christie is a graduate of the University of Delaware and earned his law degree from Seton Hall University.He and his wife, Mary Pat, have been married since 1986 and have four children: Andrew, Sarah, Patrick and Bridget.See the full "Conversation with the Candidate" event through the following links:Watch Part 1: Christie blasts Trump, Biden over their families’ wealth gainsWatch Part 2: Christie wonders why other Republicans won't confront Trump moreWatch online exclusive: Christie says he, Scott might be only Republicans who seek unityChristie reflects on visit to Ukraine, says country should enter NATO if it defeats RussiaChristie was asked about how he would approach Russia if Ukraine were to win its war against the invading country.Christie, who visited the war-torn country last week, said he’d first support Ukraine’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, saying they have “earned it.”As for how he’d handle Russia, Christie said that would depend on who was in charge.“If you have an autocratic maniac like Vladimir Putin who replaces Vladimir Putin, there would be very little the United States can do to combat that,” Christie said.Christie said the mayor of Bucha, Ukraine, told him during his visit of some of the atrocities in his town allegedly committed by Russian soldiers during the conflict.“The mayor told me about one particular street where the Russian soldiers went into every house, pulled the men out, gouged out their eyes while they were alive, tied their hands behind their back and shot them in the head, and then went into the homes and raped the women who were there,” Christie said.Christie said he learned soldiers killed 160 civilians on a single street and buried them in a mass grave behind a cathedral in the community.“And the mayor showed me a picture that a Reuters photographer had taken of a 10-year-old girl who was dead on the street. She had been shot by a Russian soldier,” Christie said. “In her hands was her leash with her dead dog at the end of that leash. She was out walking her dog and was shot and killed by a Russian soldier.”Christie made mention of thousands of children said to have been abducted from Ukraine by the Russian army.“(They were) stolen from their families and taken back to Russia to reprogram them to be anti-Ukraine,” Christie said. “I met one of those mothers whose child was taken away from her. They don’t know where their child is, if their child’s dead or alive, being cared for, abused.”The Republican invoked Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump when describing the nature of what Ukraine is up against in the war.“This is the regime that Ukraine is fighting. This is not a territorial dispute, Gov. DeSantis. This is not something we should ignore, Donald Trump,” Christie said. “This is something that America stands up against, and those folks deserve and have earned our support.”See his full answer in the video player below: Regarding climate change, Christie cautions against abandoning certain energy sources, touts use of nuclear powerOne voter questioned former Christie about his thoughts on aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.The Republican said he favors an “all-of-the-above strategy” with energy.“We can’t disarm ourselves economically while we convert to cleaner energy,” Christie said. “We can’t have our aspirations outstrip our innovation.”Christie argued for expanding the use of nuclear power.“I’ve watched the example in my home state. We are the most densely populated state in America,” Christie said. “And we have gotten 53% of our electricity annually from nuclear.”“Nuclear can really help us reach both reliability and to get down to net zero on carbon, we need to continue to support and develop wind and solar,” Christie said.Christie said New Jersey was the second-largest solar-producing state in the country when he was governor.“I really felt like we should push the edge of the envelope on that because of how densely populated you are. We had a lot of space that we could put these, you know, reflectors on and be able to gather that energy,” Christie said.Oil and gas would remain key energy sources as part of his administration’s approach, Christie added.See his full answer in the video player below:See the full "Conversation with the Candidate" event through the following links:Watch Part 1: Christie blasts Trump, Biden over their families’ wealth gainsWatch Part 2: Christie wonders why other Republicans won't confront Trump moreWatch online exclusive: Christie says he, Scott might be only Republicans who seek unityOther "Conversation with the Candidate" events will be held throughout the campaign season. The full list of candidates who participate will be updated here.Conversation with the Candidate is a town hall-style program recorded in advance of when it airs. It is intended to allow the candidate to convey their points of view on a wide range of topics. During the program, the moderator may challenge the candidates' assertions, but every fact may not be checked in real time. Hearst Television is committed to holding the candidates accountable on their claims throughout the election cycle.