Fireworks erupt between Marco Rubio and Chris Christie at GOP debate
Fox moderator Neil Cavuto pointed out that Rubio and Christie had "exchanged some fairly nasty words" recently.
He was referring to Christie saying that Rubio can't "slime [his] way to the White House," in response to ads Rubio ran suggesting that Christie agrees with President Barack Obama too much on certain controversial issues such as the Common Core education standards and gun control.
Cavuto asked Rubio if he went too far and if he wanted to apologize.
"We have a very serious problem in this country," Rubio said. We have a president of the United States who is undermining this country's security and expanding the role of our government."
Rubio went on to say that Obama is undermining our military and the constitutional basis of the government.
"I like Chris Christie, but we cannot afford to have a president of the United States who supports Common Core," Rubio said. "We cannot afford to have a president of the United States who supports gun control. This president is less interested in funding the military than he is ... he's more interested in funding Planned Parenthood than he is in funding the military."
He then said that Christie "wrote a check to Planned Parenthood."
"All I'm saying is that our next president has to be someone that does the damage that Barack Obama does to this country," Rubio said. "It cannot be someone that continues his agenda. The damage that he has done to America is extraordinary."
Rubio warned that if US voters don't "get this election right," then there might be "no turning back for America."
When Cavuto cut in and asked Rubio if he considers Christie a liberal, Rubio dodged the question, saying that Christie has endorsed many of the positions that Obama supports.
Christie responded by saying he stood onstage watching Rubio "rather indignantly" tell former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) that "someone told you that because we're running for the same office, that criticizing me will get you to that office."
He then shot at Rubio: "It appears that the same someone's been whispering in ol' Marco's ear, too."
Christie then attempted to set the record straight about his positions. He said he never wrote a check to Planned Parenthood and that he vetoed several gun-control measures while governor of New Jersey. He also noted that Common Core has been eliminated in New Jersey.
"When you're a senator, what you get to do is just talk and talk. And you talk so much that nobody can ever keep up with whether what you're saying is accurate or not," Christie said. "When you're governor, you're held accountable for everything you do. And the people of New Jersey have seen it."
Christie ended with some nice words for Rubio.
"I like Marco too and two years ago, he called me a conservative reformer that New Jersey needed," he said. "And that was before he was running against me."