Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he received a call from the king of Jordan wishing him well as he battles COVID-19.
Christie revealed the call in an interview with the New Jersey Star-Ledger on Monday. Christie tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday and checked himself into a hospital later that day.
“Guess who just called?” Christie told the Star-Ledger. “It was his majesty, King Abdullah of Jordan.”
The Star-Ledger reported that the rest of the call, according to Christie, went as follows:
Here’s Christie’s version of the phone call: “Chris, I’m concerned about you and wanted to be sure you’re OK,” the king said.
“Your majesty, I really appreciate the call,” Christie said.
The men chatted for 10 minutes, Christie said, mostly about wives and children, and the king invited him to return to Jordan with his family once the virus horror passes. “It’ll be easier this time,” Christie said, “because I won’t have the media giving me crap.”
Christie met King Abdullah II of Jordan at a political dinner in New York City, then spent a three-day vacation in Jordan on the king’s dime in 2012. The vacation, which Christie took at the end of a diplomatic trip to Israel as New Jersey’s governor, racked up a roughly $30,000 price tag as Christie and members of his family stayed at luxury hotels and attended several parties at the king’s palace and a resort.
The New York Times revealed the price tag of the trip and that Abdullah had covered its cost in 2015. Critics accused Christie of ethics violations, but Christie dismissed the allegations and said that his trip was legal under an executive order he signed that allowed gifts from personal friends.
Christie declined to share specifics about his health status on the record to the Star-Ledger, though the outlet reported “[Christie] sounded raspy but didn’t cough once during the 10-minute chat. He said it’s scary, of course, and he’s fully aware that he’s a prime target for this virus, given his weight and a lifelong case of asthma that was bad enough to hospitalize him during one attack in 2011.”
Christie revealed he had COVID-19 in a tweet on Saturday morning, writing, “I just received word that I am positive for COVID-19. I want to thank all of my friends and colleagues who have reached out to ask how I was feeling in the last day or two. I will be receiving medical attention today and will keep the necessary folks apprised of my condition.”
In the afternoon, Christie tweeted again that, as a precaution, he had “checked” himself into a hospital.
“In consultation with my doctors, I checked myself into Morristown Medical Center this afternoon. While I am feeling good and only have mild symptoms, due to my history of asthma we decided this is an important precautionary measure,” Christie said. “I am thankful for our hardworking medical professionals and look forward to coming home soon.”
I am thankful for our hardworking medical professionals and look forward to coming home soon.
— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) October 3, 2020