Updated: Governor Chris Christie appeared in good spirits and good health when he left a Somerville hospital Thursday night.
With his health no longer an immediate concern, reporters at a news conference outside the hospital quickly turned to whether Christie would be fit enough to mount a run for the White House.
Christie has long denied any intention to seek the presidency in 2012. Even if he were to run, Christie said his health wouldn’t be a concern.
“I certainly don’t think this has any role to play with it all. I think you judge people by what they do every day,” Christie said.
The governor kicked off the most recent speculation about a presidential bid Monday when he visited Iowa for an education summit and to raise money for a local congressman.
“At the end of the day, if I decided that I wanted to run for president, I think you know me Charlie, I’d do it. But if there are people who don’t think I’m up for it, then don’t vote for me,” he said.
Christie was rushed to the hospital Thursday out of an “abundance of caution,” according to spokesman Michael Drewniak.
He was experiencing shortness of breath while en route to an event at a farm in central New Jersey. Doctors spent several hours running tests on the 48-year-old, and found it was due to complications from years of being an asthmatic.
“I took the rescue inhaler that I have – didn’t have the effect it normally has. I started to feel light-headed and spoke to the troopers and said that I wasn’t feeling well, apparently didn’t look all that well,” he said.
“I feel great now. A little tired, but other than tired, I feel fine, you know, relieved,” he added.
When asked if his health scare had anything to do with his weight, Christie answered “I think the weight exacerbates everything.”
“You know, I’ve been pretty candid about that right from the start of my public career,” he said. “The lighter I am, the healthier I’ll be, so I’m sure it affects it. Though I gotta say, I don’t think it had any effect on today. I think it is much of the atmosphere this week. It’s been very humid.”
“In these really humid hot times, that tends to make me asthmatic a little more. The air is a little thick. It’s just a lot more difficult to breathe,” he added.
Maria Comella, Christie’s deputy chief of staff, said the governor’s EKG, blood work and chest X-ray came back “normal.”
“He started to feel a little bit slight of breath, sort of typical for him, not unusual for him dealing with asthma. He alerted the detail,” Comella said. “They’ve ruled out anything else more serious anything to do with cardiac issues have been ruled out.”
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