(CNN)Chris Christie on Wednesday defended his strong opposition to accepting Syrian refugees, noting that women and children are sometimes used in terror attacks.
During an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" host George Stephanopoulos, Christie was questioned about his hardline opposition to accepting Syrian refugees.
"Listen, George, we have seen women and children play roles in terrorist attacks before," Christie said. "The fact is, we can all play to the UN crowd and say we want to get applause from those folks around the world -- I'm worried about the homeland here, and the American people are worried about their safety and security."
Christie expressed his skepticism of the current vetting process for refugees, stressing, "We have to make sure that folks are vetted. That is not an unreasonable request."
The New Jersey governor has written to President Barack Obama calling on him to halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the U.S. and informed the President that state agencies would not assist in settling any. The first Syrian refugees settled in New Jersey, a family of seven that arrived Monday, and were helped by the international aid group Church World service, according to NJ.com.
Christie was also asked about Republican front-runner Donald Trump's polling and general election chances, to which he responded, "I don't know, but he's not going to be the nominee, because I am," and noted that his campaign was "gaining momentum in New Hampshire."
Christie also suggested that a second place finish in New Hampshire -- where he has devoted the vast majority of his campaign resources -- could be enough to sustain his bid, and said "I have to do well there, I've always said I have to do well there."
More plus video:
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/02/politics/chris-christie-terror-attacks-women-children/index.html
