Politics & Power Quote by Chris Christie

The line tries to do two things at once: turn raw ambition into a virtue, and preempt the suspicion that ambition is the whole point. Christie frames the decision as an internal referendum - "in my heart" - as if presidential readiness were less about coalition math, donor lists, or party tides than a private moral calibration. That’s not accidental. In modern campaigns, the most scrutinized sin isn’t wanting power; it’s wanting it too obviously. So the sentence builds a permission structure for desire.

Notice the double emphasis: not just "ready" but also "want". Readiness nods to competence, the resume argument. Wanting nods to authenticity, the vibes argument. Pairing them lets him claim both technocratic legitimacy and emotional honesty, an appeal tailored to a primary electorate that distrusts polish and punishes hesitancy. The repetition of "president of the United States" is also doing work: it ceremonially inflates the moment, reminding listeners (and perhaps himself) that this isn’t a lateral career move, it’s the Big Chair.

The killer phrase is "right now". It’s a hedge disguised as decisiveness. Christie isn’t merely weighing whether he could be president; he’s weighing timing - whether the political weather and his personal brand align with the opening. In the context of a crowded, personality-driven GOP field, "right now" signals realism: he’s auditioning his judgment as much as his ego. The subtext: I’m not desperate, I’m deliberate. And if I choose not to run, it won’t be fear or failure - it’ll be virtue.