“This message isn’t for everyone. It’s for all those people who refuse to wear a mask. You know lying in isolation in ICU for seven days I thought about how wrong I was to remove my mask at the White House,” Christie says in the ad. “Today, I think about how wrong it is to let mask wearing divide us, especially as we now know you’re twice as likely to get Covid-19 if you don’t wear a mask. Because if you don’t do the right thing, we could all end up on the wrong side of history. Please wear a mask.”
A source with knowledge of the matter told CNN that the ad is being paid for by the family foundation of philanthropist Ray Chambers. Chambers is a former financier from New Jersey, worked for the United Nations for 10 years and currently serves as the ambassador for global strategy for the World Health Organization.
The ad will appear on television over the next two weeks, with spots set to air on Fox News Channel, Newsmax and SiriusXM Radio.
Christie, who suffers from asthma, had checked himself into a hospital with Covid-19 in October, a few days after preparing President Donald Trump for his first presidential debate of the election at the White House.
He wrote that he let his guard down during debate prep with Trump, where he said earlier this month that “no one was wearing masks.”
“I mistook the bubble of security around the President for a viral safe zone. I was wrong. There is no safe zone from this virus,” Christie wrote.
After Trump’s hospitalization, masks at campaign rallies were not required and supporters were often seen crowded together.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
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