What Our Largest President Can Teach Governor Christie About Fat Jokes

When a voter at Monday’s CNN town hall asked Mr. Christie how being the first president of Italian ancestry would influence him, he gave an answer Taft would’ve loved. ‘The food will be better in the White House,’ he said. ‘Guaranteed.’

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Governor Christie on June 6, 2023 at Manchester, New Hampshire. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Governor Christie, seeking the Republican presidential nomination, is facing jokes about his weight. As these proliferate, there are lessons to be learned from our largest chief executive, President Taft, who blunted their sting by turning them into positives.

When a voter at Monday’s CNN town hall asked Mr. Christie how being the first president of Italian ancestry would influence him, he gave an answer Taft would’ve loved. “The food will be better in the White House,” he said. “Guaranteed.”

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