Chris Christie in Second GOP presidential debate

On Education: We need innovative solutions, which teachers unions fight

CHRISTIE: We have to address all students. Before I was governor, that gap was close to 50%. And what we did was institute more charter schools and more renaissance schools, and more public school choice in New Jersey with innovative solutions in cities like Camden. It can be done when you give people choice.

But let's tell the truth to everybody of what this is. This public school system is no longer run by the public. It is run by the teachers unions in this country. [The unions are] taking the worst of their members and defending them rather than advocating for our kids. A president of United States has to take on the teachers union. I did it New Jersey and I will do it as president of United States.

On Homeland Security: We must fight against the Chinese-Russia alliance

CHRISTIE: No, they're all connected. The Chinese are paying for the Russian war in Ukraine. The Iranians are supplying more sophisticated weapons.

I understand people want to go and talk to Putin. Guess what? So did George W. Bush. So did Barack Obama. So did Donald Trump. And so did Joe Biden. Every one of them has been wrong.

We need to say right now that the Chinese-Russian alliance is something we have to fight against. And we are not going to solve it by cuddling up to Vladimir Putin. Putin is murdering people in his own country; he's now going to Ukraine to murder innocent civilians. And if you think that's where it's going to stop, if we give him any of Ukraine, next will be Poland. Putin in 1991 said that the darkest moment in world history when the Soviet Union fell. Listen, everybody, he wants to put the old band back together. And only America can stop it. And when I'm president, we will.

On Technology: Pro-innovation: get government off the back of innovators

CHRISTIE: Each time we have shown incredible innovation and progress in this country, what we've done with it is to expand all kinds of opportunities. Yes, we have to do retraining for folks who lose their jobs. And we should have more training available both at the county college level and the local level.

But this is a much bigger issue than that. We can't be afraid of innovation. America has been the great innovator of this world: a technological innovator, a manufacturing innovator, and a freedom and governmental innovator. America has to continue to stand strong in the world, pro-innovation, pro-progress. As president, I will make sure that every innovator in this country gets the government the hell off its back and out of its pocket so that it can innovate and bring great new inventions to our country that will make everybody's lives better.