New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he would have definitely won the 2016 presidential election if Donald Trump had not decided to run.
"I absolutely believe if Trump had not gotten into the race I think we would have won," Christie told NJ.com in an interview published on Sunday.
Reflecting on the chaotic beginning of the Trump presidency, Christie also said it was a mistake for the administration to dismiss him as the transition chairman.
"I can only tell you who ultimately executed on it and that was (Steve) Bannon, (Reince) Priebus and (Jared) Kushner," Christie said. "They were the three guys in charge and they were the ones who ultimately made that recommendation to the president. And I think they ill-served him by doing it."
Christie, who has just over a week remaining before he ends his eight years as governor, said, "They're gonna miss me when I'm gone. I think when people look back at it and when they compare what other governors have done before me, let's say in the last 40 years. I don't think that there's anybody who's done more of consequence over the last 40 years."
He emphasized that "I had no interest in being a small-bore governor with tiny accomplishments that wouldn't offend, but probably wouldn't impress either. I wanted to be a governor of consequence and do big things."
Christie added that "I don't have any major regrets. I did it the way I wanted to do it and I was myself the whole time."
Reflecting on how the Bridgegate scandal derailed his popularity after his first term and victory for a second, Christie said, "They blamed me for it even though everyone has proven I had nothing to do with it. The part that I think is grossly unfair, that there was a rush to judgment and that rush to judgment turned out not to be borne out by the facts."
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