New York Times
By Nick Corasaniti
July 13, 2015
At
a time when many Republicans are racing to distance themselves from
Donald J. Trump, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is forging an unusual
path: He’s taking pains
to emphasize that, although he found Mr. Trump’s comments on illegal
immigrants “inappropriate,” the real estate baron is a “friend,” the two
are “close” and Mr. Trump is “a good guy.”
The
tactic — a hate-the-sin, love-the-sinner approach to politics — is
striking because Mr. Christie has long prided himself on the depth of
his support from Latinos,
who reacted with anger and dismay to Mr. Trump’s assertion that
Mexicans sneaking across the border are rapists and criminals.
To
be sure, Mr. Christie denounced Mr. Trump’s caustic words on immigrants
on Mr. Christie’s second day as an official candidate for president,
saying at a campaign event
in Nashua, N.H., that “the comments were inappropriate and have no
place in this race.”
But as for the man himself? Here’s a few of the nicer things Mr. Christie has had to say about Mr. Trump:
On
July 1: Mr. Christie told Sean Hannity of Fox News that the first thing
that came to mind when he heard Mr. Trump’s name was “a friend.”
On July 3: “I like Donald. He’s a good guy.”
On
July 6: “He tries to provoke reaction, that’s part of who Donald is.”
Mr. Christie also added that Mr. Trump is a “good friend.”
And
Monday morning, on “Fox and Friends,” Mr. Christie said he had had
enough with the Trump questions. “Donald is a friend, I’ve known him for
13 years, and I like him
personally.”
He added: “But his comments were inappropriate. That’s now the 50th time I’ve said it. It’s going to be the last time I say it.”
The
two have indeed been friends for a while. But Mr. Christie’s frequent
pledges of friendship could be a curious and potentially treacherous
path.
The
governor has made outreach to the Latino community a centerpiece of
both his record and his campaign: He won over 50 percent of the Latino
vote in his re-election,
a fact he regularly points out on the campaign trail, and he took a
three-day trip to Mexico in September.
And
the proposals that he has outlined on immigration and boarder security –
that a fence along the southern border is ineffective and sends the
wrong message – run in
direct contrast to Mr. Trump’s promise to build as grand and imposing a
border fence as humanly possible.
But perhaps those disagreements are best worked out among friends.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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