Former New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie fired back at Whoopi Goldberg during a heated exchange on ABC’s “The View.”
“That’s a false choice, Whoopi,” Christie said after Goldberg suggested he should choose a member of his own family to sacrifice if America was to reopen despite the continued threat of coronavirus.
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“You upset a lot of people saying the country needs to re-open because people are going to die no matter what,” Goldberg began. “You compared it to lives lost during World War II, calling it a sacrifice for the American way of life. I’m asking, since you’re suggesting that I sacrifice, who are you sacrificing? Who are you going to give up in your family?” (RELATED: ‘Girl, You Just Got Here, SHHH!’: Whoopi Goldberg Scolds Kayleigh McEnany For Criticizing Dr. Rick Bright)
“That’s a false choice, Whoopi,” Christie shot back. “That’s what people who don’t understand what’s going on here have said. We have 36.5 million people unemployed. We have, in seven different states now, the suicide rate going up —”
“Who are you willing to sacrifice to die, Chris? You’re saying people should be willing to sacrifice family. Who are you willing to give up?” Goldberg interrupted, repeating her question.
“Whoopi, that’s not what I said, read what I said,” Christie said again. “Lives are going to be lost inevitably no matter what we do. Lives are being lost today even after sheltering for nine weeks. People are still dying from this virus.”
Christie went on to explain that his point was that there needed to be a balance in the response, noting the uptick in domestic violence and depression that was being reported as a result of people being cooped up in their homes with no prospects in sight for returning to work.
“We have to balance the two. That’s what I was saying. All we’re hearing is that we have to remain shut in. What its doing is it’s destroying the economy, and destroying as a result people’s lives and their hope,” Christie concluded, adding that he believed there was a safe way to reopen that included masks and temperature checks in addition to limiting the capacity of many businesses before allowing them to open their doors.