Christie blasts Rubio as ‘the boy in the bubble’

Chris Christie unloaded on Marco Rubio Tuesday, calling his rival for the GOP presidential nomination “the boy in the bubble.”

“Let’s get him up here – let’s get the boy in the bubble up here,” the New Jersey governor told reporters in Bedford, N.H., according to MSNBC. “Let’s see if he’ll handle your questions and take that. I don’t think he will.

{mosads}“Now it’s time for him to man up and step up and stop letting his handlers write all of his speeches,” Christie added. “I’m fascinated to hear his answers, and I’m sure you are too.”

Christie accused Rubio of evading questions about his Senate tenure and stances on controversial topics like immigration reform.

“He wants to answer your questions about his lack of a record and experience,” Christie said. “He wants to sit here and answer your tough questions about his flip-flops on immigration.

“Maybe he’ll answer more than two or three questions at a town hall and do more than 40 minutes and deliver something that isn’t the same canned speech he gives every time,” Christie continued.

“This isn’t the student-council election everybody,” he added. “This is the election for the president of the United States.

“Let’s get the boy in his bubble out of his bubble, and let’s see him play for the next week in New Hampshire. Let’s see if he’s ready to play because I’m ready to play.”

Rubio’s campaign countered that the New Jersey governor has some explaining of his own to do.

“No amount of hot air or made-up facts can distract from Chris Christie’s liberal record of supporting Common Core, gun control, abortion rights, Planned Parenthood and [President] Obama’s liberal judicial picks,” said spokesman Joe Pounder in a statement.

“Marco is the only candidate who can unite conservatives and beat [Democratic presidential front-runner] Hillary Clinton,” he added.

Rubio finished with a strong third-place showing in the Iowa caucuses Monday evening.

The Republican presidential field next sets its sights on New Hampshire, which has scheduled its primary for Feb. 9.

Rubio ranks fifth in the Granite State with 10.2 percent support according to the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls. Christie trails the freshman congressman with 5.8 percent.

–This report was updated at 3:10 p.m.