"Never say never," Christie says of being Trump's running mate.. But the one job he wanted in Washington was the top job.
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie says he'll "never say 'never'" to the vice presidency, but he doesn't expect that Donald Trump will pick him as his running mate.
Appearing on his monthly call-in radio show "Ask the Governor" on NJ 101.5 on Wednesday evening, Christie was asked by moderator Eric Scott, "Do you want to be in Washington in some capacity?"
The governor answered that "I ran for the job I wanted," referencing to his failed presidential bid, which collapsed after a sixth place showing in the New Hampshire primary in February. Two weeks later, he endorsed Trump.
"The way I think about these things, you never say 'never,'" said Christie, "When we talked about Mitt Romney vetting me for vice president four years ago, I said I didn't really want to be vice-president. But you would never say 'never' if the nominee of your party calls you up and asks you to consider something."
The governor paused.
"I say never say 'never' because I love my country," he said. "But I absolutely believe that what will happen is that I'll serve the full eight years of my term (as governor) and then in January of 2018, I'll be getting, hopefully, a well-paid position in the private sector. It's time for me to make some money."
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For years, the governor has maintained that he didn't mind earning less than First Lady Mary Pat Christie, a Wall Street bond trader.
"My family's made a lot of sacrifices, financial and otherwise," said Christie. "It's certainly Mary Pat's desire that I go out and finally out-earn her."
The Christies have not released their 2015 tax returns, filing an extension with the IRS earlier this week. However, in 2014, the Christie family earned close to a million dollars, most of it coming from First Lady Mary Pat Christie's job at specialty trading firm Angelo, Gordon. That puts them easily in the top 1 percent of income earners in the U.S.
In 2014, her bonus alone eclipsed the governor's $175,000 salary, but the First Lady has been on a hiatus for the better part of a year now.
Asked if he would had a burning desire to become the U.S. Attorney General, or the Secretary of Homeland Security, the governor shook his head and answered simply, "I had a burning desire to be President."
Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.