New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie made a huge impression at Israel’s Western Wall yesterday during his first official overseas trip as head of the Garden State.
Christie, wearing a yarmulke with his name and title embroidered on it, brought his political heft to the holiest Jewish site in Jerusalem, where he laid his hands on the rough-hewn stone, his eyes shut in prayer.
Surrounded by a throng of rabbis and onlookers, Christie downplayed suggestions that the trip to Israel is intended to raise his political prospects back home.
“Anything I do fuels speculation for a future bid,” Christie told The Associated Press.
“I am here because this is a place of enormous significance in the world.”
Christie’s brief visit to what has been called the Wailing Wall highlighted his growing popularity. Tourists stopped to shake his hand and pose for pictures. He even held a 6-month-old baby for one photo.
The rabbi of the holy site, who gave him a personal tour, was quick to point out that politicians who visit tend to win elections.
Christie — who declined to run for the White House this year, despite entreaties by Republican activists — endorsed fellow GOPer Mitt Romney for president last fall.
And the pugnacious Jersey governor is mentioned as a potential Romney running-mate, or a 2016 presidential candidate if President Obama is re-elected.
In that context, political observers see Christie’s Mideast visit as laying the groundwork for a future run. He has not indicated whether he will seek re-election as governor next year.
Israel is a popular stop for American politicians seeking to bolster their international credibility while also appealing to Jewish constituents.
Earlier, Christie met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The governor said the two had a “really good and fruitful discussion” about regional issues, including Iran’s disputed nuclear program and expanding trade between Israel and New Jersey.
There was “never any question about where we were coming first,” Christie told Netanyahu.
He will travel to Jordan later this week for meetings with King Abdullah II.
Christie’s trip, billed “Jersey to Jerusalem,” is a trade and diplomacy mission, according to his office. The meeting with Netanyahu was the first in a series of talks with senior Israeli business and political leaders, including President Shimon Peres today.
Christie’s spokeswoman, Maria Comella, rejected suggestions that he was positioning himself for a run for national office, either this year or in 2016.
She said it’s “a common tradition for New Jersey governors to go to Israel” because of the state’s economic links to Israel.