National

Sand sculpture of Gov. Chris Christie appears on the Jersey Shore for Fourth of July

In this Sunday, July 2, 2017, photo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, uses the beach with his family and friends at the governor's summer house at Island Beach State Park in New Jersey. Christie is defending his use of the beach, closed to the public during New Jersey's government shutdown, saying he had previously announced his vacation plans and the media had simply "caught a politician keeping his word."
In this Sunday, July 2, 2017, photo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, uses the beach with his family and friends at the governor's summer house at Island Beach State Park in New Jersey. Christie is defending his use of the beach, closed to the public during New Jersey's government shutdown, saying he had previously announced his vacation plans and the media had simply "caught a politician keeping his word." Associated Press

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took a lot of criticism after pictures of him lounging at the Island Beach State Park, which was closed due to a government shutdown, surfaced online.

Now, a pair of New Jersey sand sculptors are joining in to poke fun at Christie. The two sculptors, identified as Larry and Tom, created a sand sculpture of Christie leaning back in a chair, according to NJ.com.

The sand sculpture, which was built at a beach in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, had the words “Beach Closed,” “I Love New Jersey” and “July 4th,” written on it, according to NBC Connecticut.

The two sculptors started working on the sculpture at 9 a.m. Tuesday and finished it four hours later. Lifeguards told NBC Connecticut that the same two sculptors and their families make a sand sculpture at the beach every year.

Last year’s sculpture honored the Sept. 11 victims on the 15-year anniversary of the attacks.

Christie’s job approval is at 15 percent after three of his former aides were convicted in a scheme to deliberately cause traffic jams, his presidential run and his support of President Donald Trump, according to NBC Connecticut.

Christie took even more heat on social media, after several users photoshopped him on into several different scenes.

Christie’s family vacation was planned, but the New Jersey state legislature failed to pass a budget by June 30, which prompted non-essential state services to close. The Island Beach State Park was one of those services, according to NJ.com

This story was originally published July 4, 2017 at 9:15 PM with the headline "Sand sculpture of Gov. Chris Christie appears on the Jersey Shore for Fourth of July."

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