Chris Christie in First GOP presidential debate

On Budget & Economy: Work with Democrats to cut debt and cut unemployment

Gov. Chris CHRISTIE: I do agree predominantly with Gov. DeSantis. The difference is that we have to make sure that we sell these ideas. I was elected as a conservative Republican in a blue state with 61% of the vote, with a Democratic legislature and we brought them around to our point of view. We cut taxes in New Jersey. We cut debt in New Jersey. Each time we were confronted with bad Democratic ideas, we stopped them. And when there were good ideas, we brought people together to make progress.

Q: When you were governor, NJ had the 2nd-lowest credit rating in the nation, and it was downgraded 11 times.

CHRISTIE: Yes, that's what happens when you inherit a blue state. But we cut debt, debt that had been left to us by three Democratic gubernatorial predecessors. And cut the unemployment rate in half--and cut pension payments to public employees.

On Gun Control: Fight violent crime at federal level; fill federal prisons

CHRISTIE: I ran a United States Attorney's Office in a state where there is significant urban crime. And the problem is not going to be solved by more money. The problem is that these prosecutors in these localities, in the states, are refusing to do their job, and to arrest violent criminals. So, what a President Christie would do is appoint an Attorney General who would instruct each of the 93 US attorneys that they are to take over the prosecution of violent crime in every one of those cities that are failing to do so. We have plenty of room in the federal prisons to lock up these violent criminals and clean up what's going on all across this country in these individual cities.

On Crime: Trump's conduct beneath the office of the President

Vivek RAMASWAMY: Let's just speak the truth. OK? President Trump, I believe was the best president of the 21st century. We're skating on thin ice and we cannot set a precedent where the party in power uses police force to indict its political opponents. It is wrong. We have to end the weaponization of justice in this country.

CHRISTIE: We have stood up for law and order. I did it as US attorney. I did it as governor. And I am not going to bow to anyone when we have a president of the United States who disrespects the Constitution. It's important to say that the president said, Donald Trump said, "it's OK to suspend the Constitution."

On Foreign Policy: If we don't stand against autocratic killing, we'll be next

On Immigration: Make sure people who came here illegally are not rewarded