Christie: I'll Talk About My Message, Not Trump, in Debate

Being on the debate stage Thursday night is an important first step, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday, and he plans to be there, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll target front-runner Donald Trump.

"I'm getting ready to be myself Thursday night," the GOP candidate told Fox News' "America's Newsroom' program. "In a debate of 10 people, you can't pick one person you want to square up against, so what you have to do is get yourself ready for the message you want to deliver to the American people."

Trump has been successful because of his business ventures and "because he 's a guy who knows how to go on this medium and do well," Christie continued, and it's not about doing well in the short term, but in the long haul.

"It's a test for a long period of time, how do you do," said Christie.

Meanwhile, Christie spoke out in favor of the defunding measure underway in Washington against Planned Parenthood, pointing out that six years ago he voted to veto the funding in his own state.

"Governors actually have to do something," said Christie. "There has been no public Planned Parenthood funding in New Jersey the last six years because of actions I have taken."

And on the national level?

"I don't know how you can continue to fund a group that's sitting and openly discussing the best method to kill babies to increase their profit by selling body parts," said Christie. "It's extraordinary to me and disgusting."

Christie also commented on the show that overall, he believes the recent nuclear deal with Iran is the greatest national security threat to the United States in the next four years, as he is concerned about the provision that allows a 24-day period before inspections happen.

"I'm an old prosecutor," said Christie, a former U.S. attorney. "Going to the house saying 'I have got this search warrant, I'll be back in 24 days?' Even the dumbest criminal in New Jersey would get the evidence out of there and the Iranians are not dumb. It's a threat to Israel and the United States."

Related stories:

• Christie Runs Down Debate Clock in Iowa
• Christie, Kasich, Perry Campaign for Final Spots in GOP Debate