Williams asked Christie if he does decide to run in 2016, “what Republican Party do you see that would support your candidacy right now? How would you survive a primary process in the current set up of the Republican Party?”

Christie did not indicate whether or not he would run, but he did attempt to affirm his conservative credentials. “I’m a damn good Republican,” he said. “But that does not mean that I would ever put a party before my state or a party before my country.”

Williams also asked Christie about the “political price” he paid for the cooperative and cordial relationship he displayed with President Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, including the physical and metaphorical embrace seen around the country in the days before the 2012 presidential election. “I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about it,” Christie said. “Because in my heart, I know I did what was right. And all I did was compliment someone who was doing their job well.”