CNN sat down with the pugilistic governor of New Jersey this weekend and asked who on the national level deserved a punch in the face.

Gov. Chris Christie replied, "Oh the national teachers union, who's already endorsed Hillary Clinton 16, 17 months before the election."

Asked why the union deserved a thrashing, Christie said, "Because they're not for education for our children. They're for greater membership,  greater benefits, greater pay for their members. And they are the single most destructive force for public education in America.”

The  1.6 million-member American Federation of Teachers endorsed Clinton two weeks ago. The National Education Association, which has about 3 million members, has not endorsed a candidate.

In a response to Christie, AFT President Randi Weingarten said, “Chris Christie has issues – from reneging on his promise to fix pensions to his state’s fiscal standing facing near junk bond status. But the biggest issue is he’s a bully and has anger management problems. That he would threaten to punch teachers in the face —mostly women seeking to help children meet their potential and achieve their dreams — promotes a culture of violence and underscores why he lacks the temperament and emotional skills to be president, or serve in any leadership capacity."

See what else Christie said about the union:

About the Author

Keep Reading

Fulton County Schools is participating in OpenAI’s pilot of a version of ChatGPT built specifically for schools, guest contributor Joe Phillips writes. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

Credit: AP

Featured

Waymo autonomous vehicles operate across 65 square miles inside I-285 and have been involved in six incidents with Atlanta Public School buses since May. Waymo issued a recall because of their cars briefly stopping or slowing down before continuing forward while a bus was stopped and flashing its lights. (Courtesy of Atlanta Public Schools)

Credit: Courtesy of Atlanta Public Schools