Chris Christie says he’s not too fat to be president
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) listen during a rally on January 8, 2012, in Exeter, New Hampshire. Christie vetoed a same-sex marriage bill in New Jersey on Feb. 17, 2012.
New Jesey Governor Chris Christie brushed aside claims that he's too round to make a run for the White House.
In an interview scheduled to air Wednesday, ABC's Barbara Walters asked Christie what he said to critics who claimed he can't be president because of his weight.
“No, that’s ridiculous. I mean that’s ridiculous. I mean I don’t know what the basis is,” he said according to POLITICO.
“Well, I’ve done this job pretty well. And I think people have watched me for the last number of weeks of Hurricane Sandy doing 18-hour days and getting right back up the next day and still being just as effective. So I don’t really think that will be a problem.”
In a clip released by ABC News, Walters confessed to being a little embarassed about asking Christie if he was overweight.
"More than a little," Christie responded.
USA Today reports that Christie suffered a serious asthma attack last year and ended up in a hospital emergency room.
Christie said it was the heat and humidity that sparked the attack, not his weight.
The Republican told ABC news back in July that his weight is “a really difficult thing to deal with.”
“I’ve been living with it for a long time, and I’m going to try to get better,” Christie said. “And if I can get better, that’ll be great for me and for my family and for the public who likes me … it’s something that’s not easy. If it were easy, I’d already have it fixed.”
If Christie made a successful run for president, he wouldn't be the first in history to be overweight. The 27th president William Howard Taft weighed more than 300 pounds and needed a special bathtub installed at the White House.