New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has arrived at the statehouse and says he feels "fabulous," a day after he received emergency hospital treatment for breathing problems related to chronic asthma.
A smiling Christie walked in Friday just after 11 a.m., holding his jacket over one shoulder and carrying a briefcase in his other hand.
Asked he how was doing, he responded: "Fabulous, better than I have any right to."
He later tweeted: "Thank you to everyone in NJ & across the country for your kind words over the past 24 hrs. So proud to be the Governor of this great state."
When he left Somerset Medical Center on Thursday, Christie said he planned to attend three private meetings at the Statehouse Friday and a dinner Friday night. He has no public schedule.
"I don't want you or anybody in the state to be concerned about me. I'm fine, I feel fine," Christie said as he left the hospital Thursday. Then he joked, "I think you all got the idea I was fine when (his wife) Mary Pat left, that I was fine or dead."
The governor underwent several hours of tests at the hospital in central Jersey, including a chest x-ray, an EKG and blood work that all came out normal.
Christie, 48, uses an inhaler for asthma and is overweight. He was headed to a bill-signing event Thursday morning when he felt short of breath and became light-headed, so he had his state police detail take him to the hospital. Christie has never been hospitalized in his 18 months as governor, and the last time he sought emergency treatment for asthma was more than 20 years ago when he was in law school.
The governor told reporters that his breathing problems were likely the result of humid weather and summer allergies. Christie said he would continue to watch his diet, exercise and try to lose weight, but didn't anticipate making any lifestyle changes as a result of Thursday's incident, adding that he plans to see his own asthma doctor next week as a precaution.
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Mary Pat Christie went to the hospital after being told of her husband's situation, but left after a few hours to attend their son's baseball game. The Christies have four school-age children.
Christie has drawn praise from fiscal conservatives and complaints from unions for efforts to trim benefits for public employees as part of steep budget cuts. His national profile also has risen, in part, for his frank and sometimes confrontational exchanges with the media, and some Republicans have been trying to persuade to run for president.
The governor had attended an education conference and a congressional fundraiser in Iowa on Monday, where he again told reporters he was not running for president. He reiterated that position Thursday when a reporter asked him if he thought his health issues would hurt him if he sought the presidency.
Christie has been open about some of his health problems.
He has long struggled with his weight, which he said he started putting on after high school when he stopped playing organized sports. He's tried dozens of diets over the years with varying success and has shed some pounds in recent months.
