Chris Christie Saturday Night Live Performance Makes Him a 2016 Presidential Candidate

Impact

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appeared on NBC's Saturday Night Live last night to sit with "Weekend Update's" Seth Meyers and talk about the clean up after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the Jersey Shore and other parts of the Garden State in October. 

Christie, who gave the 2012 Republican National Convention Keynote Speech after being considered as a big favorite to run for president this year, ruffled some GOP feathers when he praised President Barack Obama's response to the storm in the days leading to the election. 

The governor, who had already ignited controversy after the RNC for talking too much about himself and too little about Mitt Romney during the convention, joined a growing chorus of presumed 2016 GOP hopefuls — Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), among others — in criticizing Romney for his post-election comment that President Obama won reelection thanks to the "gifts" he promised minorities. 

"I understand he's very upset about having lost the election and very disappointed [...] I've never run for president, I've lost elections but never for the presidency, and I'm sure it stings terribly," Christie told MSNBC when asked about Romney's "gifts" comments. 

The outspoken governor received bipartisan praise for his response to Hurricane Sandy. Christie rose above the highly partisan and polarized political climate of the days leading into the election, not only by commending the response of the federal government but also by saying in his trademark style that "he didn't give a damn about the election right now" as he addressed the emergency in his state.