TRENTON — The morning after his hospitalization for breathing problems, the governor strode into the Statehouse with his suit jacket casually slung over his arm and a briefcase in his right hand. Asked how he was feeling, Christie said, "Fabulous, better than I have any right to." Besides his walk to the office, Christie stayed behind closed doors for...
Governor Chris Christie arrives at the Statehouse a day after being hospitalized for an asthma attack .TRENTON — The morning after his hospitalization for breathing problems, the governor strode into the Statehouse with his suit jacket casually slung over his arm and a briefcase in his right hand.
Asked how he was feeling, Christie said, "Fabulous, better than I have any right to."
Besides his walk to the office, Christie stayed behind closed doors for most of the day. The governor’s spokesman, Kevin Roberts, said Christie was in back-to-back meetings all day before leaving for a private dinner. He even worked out in the morning.
It was a quick turnaround from Thursday, when Christie called off a bill signing at a Hillsborough farm. He was en route to the press conference when an asthma attack struck and his rescue inhaler didn’t do the trick. State Police troopers drove him to Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, where he stayed for eight hours as doctors ran a battery of tests. They ruled out other health ailments, including cardiac problems, according to the governor’s office.
Christie walked out of the hospital in the early evening, with a small brown bandage on his right hand and tape holding white gauze to his left hand. He said he was weary but feeling good.
Christie has become a star in the Republican Party, and is often discussed as a potential presidential candidate even though he’s repeatedly said he won’t run next year. So his brief hospital stay quickly became national news, with satellite trucks lining up outside the building.
The governor said he hasn’t been hospitalized for breathing problems since law school.
Christie’s hospitalization also renewed attention on his weight, which he addressed candidly during a half-hour press conference on Thursday.
He said he doubts his weight contributed to his asthma attack on Thursday — he blamed the recent heat and humidity — but said he would continue working with a trainer to improve his health.
"I feel a sense of urgency with the stress level of my job to take care of it," Christie said.
Ginger Gibson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Previous coverage:
• Day after leaving hospital, Gov. Christie is back at work
• NJ Voices: Chris Christie's health should be the story, not his image
• Politicians, N.J. residents react to Gov. Christie hospital visit
• Christie's asthma attack becomes national news, raises questions about governor's health
• Despite hospital stay, Gov. Christie says his asthma flareup did not impair his ability to govern
• Gov. Chris Christie released from hospital, says he is a little tired but otherwise fine