Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie opened the second GOP primary debate by taking shots at former President Donald Trump.
Minutes after the debate began on Wednesday, Christie was asked if Trump's populism was to blame for a possible government shutdown.
"Voters should blame everybody who's in Washington, D.C.," Christie said. "And let's be honest about this with the voters. You know, during the Trump administration, they added $7 trillion. $7 trillion in national debt. And now the Biden administration has put another $5 trillion on and counting."
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According to Christie, most politicians were unwilling to take on complex issues like government spending.
"And yet we don't get any answers because Joe Biden hides in his basement and won't answer as to why he's raising the debt the way he's done," the candidate quipped. "And Donald Trump, he hides behind the walls of his golf clubs and won't show up here to answer questions like all the rest of us are up here to answer. He put $7 trillion on the debt."
"He should be in this room to answer those questions for the people you talk about who are suffering," he added. "And if the government, and if the government closes, and if the government closes, it's the blame, it is to the blame of everyone in Washington, D.C. who has failed to do their job and just plays to the grandstand."
