Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said over the weekend that the national teachers union deserved a “punch in the face” because it had become the most destructive force in America’s education system.

In an interview that aired on Sunday, CNN’s Jake Tapper reminded the New Jersey governor that he had advised people to punch bullies “in the face” during his first term as governor.

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“At the national level, who deserves a punch in the face?” Tapper wondered.

“Oh, the national teachers union,” Christie replied without hesitation. “They’re not for education for our children, they’re for greater membership, greater benefits, greater pay for their members.”

“And they are the single most destructive force in public education in America,” he added. “I’ve been saying that since 2009. I’ve got the scars to show it, but I’m never going to stop saying it because they never change their stripes.”

Watch the video below from CNN’s State of the Union, broadcast Aug. 2, 2015.