Christie: No ‘fence mending’ with GOP

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said Monday night he does not need to mend any fences with conservative Republicans if he decides to run for president in 2016.

Addressing concerns that he is not conservative enough to win a GOP nomination battle, Christie said he is going to continue to “be me.” 

“I’m going be me, and if I ever decide to run for anything again and being me isn’t good enough, then fine, I’ll go home. This isn’t my whole life,” he said during The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council meeting, according to reports. 

{mosads}Christie said he would not serve out a full second term if he runs for the presidency and wins in 2016. Otherwise, he will stay in his place.  

“If I decide to run for president and win, I won’t, if I don’t, then I will. I don’t have to make that decision now,” Christie said, according to ABC News. 

Christie said that the earlier a candidate makes a decision to run for president, the more time he has to screw it up. 

“It’s not something I want to screw up,” he said. 

In the weeks since his reelection, he has left the door open to not serving out a full term but has not before put it in such stark terms.  

Christie said he had no idea what it would take for a Republican to beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton if she decides to enter the race. But he said the party needs someone who is “clear, direct, authentic” and says “what they think.”

Christie also took aim at a familiar punching bag: Washington. He blamed President Obama for not developing personal relationships with Republicans but said it stems from a larger problem in the city. 

“It’s about human relationships. The fact of the matter is nobody in this city talks to each other anymore, and if they do talk to each other, it’s not civilly. They don’t develop relationships; they don’t develop any sense of trust between each other,” Christie said.

Obama’s presidency is undermined by all the speculation about 2016, Christie said. 

“There is still work to be done in this country, and as we shove him out the door, we minimize his ability to be an effective executive, and we shouldn’t do that, so I’m not rushing,” he said. 

Obama is slated to speak at the meeting Tuesday.