Christie slams 2016 opponents for being ‘vague’

by Jordain Carney - 07/25/15 2:37 PM ET

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is offering some advice to his opponents in the 2016 presidential race: Stop being “vague.”

“I heard a candidate complain the other day that, you know, ‘my positions’ — meaning that candidate’s positions — ‘on comments I made about entitlement reform are being misconstrued by the press.’ Well, it’s much harder to be misconstrued by the press if you’re specific,” Christie said during a town hall in Iowa on Friday, according to CNN.

{mosads}”If you continue to speak in generalities, then you’re going to have other people interpret what you mean.”

His comments come after former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is also running for president, suggested that comments he made earlier this week about phasing out Medicare were taken out of context.

But Christie, separately, told CNN that he wasn’t referring specifically to Bush, but instead that “everybody who doesn’t talk about this stuff says they’re mischaracterized. … Be specific. Then you won’t be mischaracterized.”

The New Jersey governor, for his part, outlined some of his priorities on entitlement reform — including incrementally raising the retirement age for Social Security to 69 — earlier this year.

He added Friday that voters “don’t have to interpret” where he stands on Social Security, saying “It won’t be mischaracterized. … The more vague you are because you’re trying to have it both ways, the more you’re subject to that kind of misinterpretation.”

Tags Chris Christie