New Jersey Governor Chris Christie shuts down beach to public and uses it himself

Governor Chris Christie says he didn't get sun, but he certainly got burned by the internet.

Photos have emerged of Christie enjoying a summer's day out with his family at Island Beach Lake Park in his state of New Jersey.

Christie had previously closed off the park to the public following a budget impass. 

When asked by a reporter if he enjoyed his day out, he replied "I didn't get any sun".

Then the photos emerged.

His spokesman however claimed that Christie was telling the truth, because he was wearing a baseball cap. 

It created a social media storm of jokes and memes with many accusing the Governor or being an example of corruption of power.  

As a result "#BeachGate" has started trending worldwide. 

While being labelled the Tony Soprano of Politics, Christie was super-imposed on the ending of the original Planet of the Apes movie and photoshopped in the Oval Office with Kellyanne Conway's "kneel-gate" photo. 

But Christie has been here before.

In 2013, he shut down George Washington Bridge (also known as Bridgegate), and created a gridlock of traffic. 

Many said was politically motivated.

Christie's former deputy chief of staff received 18 months in prison for roles in the conspiracy to close down access lanes.

The reason? To punish the town's then-mayor for refusing to endorse Christie's 2013 re-election.

Social Media Presenter Aziz Al-Sa'afin looks at the biggest trends of the day. 

Watch the video for the full interview.