Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP.Rubio attempted to use his critique of President Obama's policies in response to Christie's claims about his inexperience, but his statements quickly backfired.
"Let's dispel with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn't know what he's doing. He knows exactly what he's doing,"Rubio said at the debate. "He is trying to change this country."
After Christie's response, Rubio repeated his statement almost verbatim, saying, "This notion that Barack Obama doesn't know what he's doing is just not true. He knows exactly what he's doing."
When Rubio repeated his sentiments about President Obama, Christie said, "There it is...the speech again."
Chris Christie has already achieved what he aimed to in this debate: got himself noticed and knocked the shine off Rubio #GOPDebate
— Jonathan Freedland (@Freedland) February 7, 2016
The disagreement between the two candidates started when Christie attacked Rubio's limited Senate experience. Christie argued that his time as New Jersey's governor was better suited in preparing him for the presidency. He likened Rubio to President Obama, who was elected to the presidency as a first-term senator. Rubio hit back, suggesting that Christie was "forced" to return to New Jersey during Winter Storm Jonas.
"That's what Washington, D.C., does," Christie said of Rubio's statements. The governor added, "It gets very ugly when [Rubio] gets off his talking points."
Iowa Rep. Steve King (R), meanwhile, appeared to love the tension between Christie and Rubio.
Chris Christie has drawn real debate blood from Rubio. Hard to recover.
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) February 7, 2016
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