Christie: ‘I was not ready to be president’ in 2012

Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) isn’t concerned that he missed his best shot at the White House in 2012, because he now feels like he’s ready to lead, he told NBC.

{mosads}“Here’s the most important thing: In 2011 and 2012, I was not ready to be president,” he said in an interview aired on the “Today” show the morning after he announced his presidential bid.

“You don’t run just because you think you can win; you have to think you can win, and then you are ready to do the job.”

The outspoken GOP governor from a strong-blue state burst onto the national scene with a no-nonsense approach that endeared him to his fans and prompted some to call for him to jump in in 2012 to take on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. But since then, he’s faced questions over the “Bridgegate” scandal and faces a field that’s continuously adding new competitors.

But Christie said that he stands out against the group of current and former governors weighing a bid — including Jeb Bush (Fla.), Scott Walker (Wis.), Mike Huckabee (Ark.) and Rick Perry (Texas) — because of his experience with bipartisan negotiations.

“What sets me apart is the state where I come from. I mean, this is hand-to-hand combat every day, and it’s a Democratic legislature who’s fighting you all the time, who you have to learn how to bring in and to craft compromise,” he said.

“And in red states, they don’t have a lot of experience doing that. … I know how to do that.”

He also needled President Obama for a perceived failure to listen to minority communities. Christie noted that after last month’s tragic shooting in a historic black church in South Carolina, he attended a prayer service with African-American ministers in New Jersey and spoke about how “racism is the cause of what happened in Charleston.”

When NBC’s Matt Lauer pointed out that Obama gave a eulogy at the funeral for South Carolina state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, who died in the shooting, Christie said that he doesn’t think Obama is “really listening.”

“I don’t think he’s really listening, Matt. I think he goes and he talks, but he doesn’t listen.” Christie said.

–Updated at 12:20