Sea Girt, NJ – Gov. Chris Christie lashed out Wednesday at a former White House doctor who said she worries about the governor dying in office because he is so heavy, telling her to “shut up.”
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Dr. Connie Mariano, who served as White House physician from 1992 to 2001, told CNN she’d like to see Christie run for president in 2016 but that he needs to lose weight. She said she worries he could have a heart attack or stroke.
“I’m worried about this man dying in office,” the doctor, who has a practice in Scottsdale, Ariz., told the network.
During a visit Wednesday to a shore town devastated by Superstorm Sandy, Christie was asked about the doctor’s comments.
Unless Mariano gives him a physical exam and learns his family history, “she should shut up,” the governor said.
His children heard the doctor’s comments, Christie said, and his preteen son asked him if he was going to die.
“She’s just another hack looking for her five minutes,” Christie said.
Christie has never revealed his weight, but he has repeatedly said that keeping it in check has been a longtime struggle.
Christie joked about his girth during an appearance Monday on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” pulling out a doughnut and saying his girth is “fair game” for comedians.
The next day, he spoke frankly about his efforts to lose weight and described himself as “remarkably healthy,” but he also acknowledged his doctor “continues to warn me that my luck is going to run out relatively soon.”
Christie has never released his medical records. He had one health scare during his first term, an asthma attack in the summer of 2011 that sent him to the hospital but did not require him to be admitted. He blamed it on the heat, not his weight.
Well said! everyone is minding everybody’s business these days. Nobody knows when their last day on earth will be, regardless of their size or health status. Even athletes die young if that is what hashem wants.
Sorry, she does not need to exam him in person to diagnose the issue. Christie is morbidly obese.
What is the yankee obsession with this guy? I don’t get it. He couldn’t get elected dog catcher with an R next to his name outside of the north-east.
Good for you Governor Christie! Every mouthpiece in the world thinks they have the right to comment on someone’s weight. It’s not anyone’s business except for immediate family.
I agree 100% with Gov. Christie. This was a case of a Physician who has never met Gov.Christie, has never examined Gov. Christie, does not have a clue as to his medical history, or to the medical history of his family. Yet, she has the chutzpah, the unmitigating gall, to publicly expound a medical opinion on nationwide television, regarding his health. He was absolutely correct in lambasting her. Incidentally, regarding her tenure as White House Physician to President Clinton, I don’t recall her telling Clinton to lay off those fatty hamburgers, and french fries, which caused him problems with blocked arteries. Hence, she should have practiced, what she is now preaching.
It doesn’t take a brain surgeon (or even a former White House Physician) to take a look at Christie (who is obese by ay medical standard) and know he is a prime candidate for some cardiac event is he is elected to one of the most stressful jobs in the world. If he wants to be in the public domain and seek the nation’s highest office, his health is fair game. He has made no visible effort to lose weight and makes jokes about it. This doctor is stating the obvious and is entitled to her opinion, which she made clear exactly that, an opinion. Christie is equally within his rights to ignore her views and tell her to shut up.
Doctors have no business speaking to the press in this way.
The Governor can’t deny that all that extra weight he carries is dangerous. The chance that a man of his girth could be elected President are nill due to diswcrimination against the obese. If he shed 100 pounds he’d have a chance.
He’s definitely morbidly obese & for no other reason than his family & his own longevity, he should seriously work on losing a significant amount. Having said that, this doctor is not someone I’d ever consult. She has a nerve!! She never examined him & it’s surprisingly true, some fat people are healthier than skinny ones. Sadly, I’m definitely overweight & it’s very hard to lose it. Clearly, the lure of the White House isn’t enough to change Christie’s eating habits. If that isn’t inspiration (coupled with his family) I don’t think anything will get him to shed the pounds.
Christie is right. It was unethical and unprofessional for a physician to offer a firm opinion on a media station on another persons health. It is clear to anyone that Mr. Christie may have health maladies and his time on earth may or may not be limited by his large girth. That said, he has options and of course, he seems very capable of self managing his life. Diabetes is not an incapacitating illness in its early years and it is manageable by drugs, exercise and sometimes surgery. Mr. Christie is an honest broker for tomorrow.
Cheney is not obese but had his first heart attack in his 30s. That didn’t stop him from being a heartbeat/lack thereof from the presidency (some say he was actually running the country anyhow).
Unfair to be prejudiced against heavy people. Nothing wrong with a President who struggles just like the average man.
To #13 - You conveniently neglected to mention that prior to his first heart attack, Cheney was chain smoking FOUR packs fo cigarettes a day!