Chris Christie Stirs Social Media by Saying People Are 'Going to Have to' Accept Death in Order to Reopen Country

By Michael Hein

On Monday, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said that the U.S. needs to reopen public spaces, despite the latest projections showing thousands of coronavirus deaths. Christie appeared on CNN's The Daily DC Podcast with Dana Bash, where he acknowledged the models predicting a total death toll of 100,000 people. Even so, Christie said that it was still worth it to "reopen the country."

"Of course, everybody wants to save every life they can — but the question is, towards what end, ultimately?" Christie asked, suggesting that the economic damage of long-term social distancing could be worse than the death toll of the virus itself. "Are there ways that we can... thread the middle here to allow that there are going to be deaths, and there are going to be deaths no matter what?" he wondered.

Christie has been heavily criticized for these new comments, especially on Twitter. Many users have condemned the former governor for what they called a "cavalier" view of human life. They noted Christie's wording about "let[ting] some of these folks get back to work," suggesting that he should take on that responsibility himself.

While Christie suggested a "middle" path to social distancing and reopening the economy, he did not suggest any specific alternatives. When Bash pointed out the Trump administration's latest projection, which suggested the U.S. could have 3,000 coronavirus deaths per day by June 1, Christie said: "They're gonna have to."

For the latest information on the coronavirus pandemic, visit the websites of the CDC and the World Health Organization. In the meantime, here is what Twitter had to say about Chris Christie on Tuesday.

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