Washington ( CNN ) -- President Barack Obama hit back at New Jersey Governor Chris Christie over Ebola on Tuesday , warning that quarantine policies based on fear could discourage US health care workers `` doing God 's work '' in Africa to battle the epidemic . Obama issued a veiled but clear public rebuke to the tough-talking Republican who strode back onto the national stage in a tussle with the White House on Friday after ordering the isolation of a nurse who had just landed at Newark from Sierra Leone . The president warned that health workers who do a `` really tough job '' in Africa should be applauded , supported and monitored in a prudent fashion once they come back home . He said anti-Ebola precautions should be based on science not `` on our fears . '' The public disagreement marked the latest twist in the odd couple relationship between the cool , no drama president and the no-nonsense governor , who bonded two years ago after Hurricane Sandy . Widening disagreements are likely if Christie decides to run for president in 2016 . Christie justified his decision to contradict federal Ebola procedures by quarantining the nurse , Kaci Hickox by saying that the inconveniencing of one person was outweighed by wider concerns for public safety . But the confinement of Hickox , who exhibited no symptoms of Ebola , stirred a public relations mess for the governor and on Monday he relented and allowed her to return home to Maine for monitoring . Another governor , Democrat Andrew Cuomo of New York also climbed down on tough new quarantine rules under pressure from the White House . But Christie remained defiant on Tuesday , saying he had no regrets over how the drama had unfolded in his state . The Ebola episode offers another example of challenges Christie faces as the Republican governor of a Democratic state with his eyes on the White House . He has to avoid alienating conservative primary voters -- many of whom are still bitter about Christie 's embrace of President Barack Obama days before the 2012 election after Hurricane Sandy ravaged his state . But he ca n't hew so close to the conservative line that he upends his image as a straight-talker willing to take on both parties . That dynamic was on display Monday after Hickox was released . Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh said Christie himself should be quarantined after again lining up with Obama on a key issue shortly before a critical election . `` Obama and his gang are flipping out ... . so one week before the election , once again Gov . Chris Christie has caved , '' Limbaugh said . `` We need to quarantine Chris Christie , is what we need to happen here folks . '' Still , the White House that was once so eager to embrace Christie 's post-Sandy bear hug of Obama 's leadership is now rebuking the state 's the treatment of Hickox , saying medical staff returning home must not be stigmatized . `` Her service and commitment to this cause is something that should be honored and respected . I do n't think we should do that by making her live in a tent for two or three days , '' White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday . The jab was a reflection of how the political circumstances of both Christie and Obama have changed since their interactions in the wake of Hurricane Sandy . Back then , with Christie seeking a thumping re-election win to set up a 2016 run , and keen for federal relief cash , he had sound political reasons to offer Obama a disaster photo-op â€ ” much to the fury of Mitt Romney 's supporters . Now , with Christie seeking a national stage , polishing his reputation after the Bridgegate scandal , and keen to capitalize on Republican claims Obama is incompetent , it makes sense to stand firm on Ebola . PHOTOS : The Ebola epidemic . The White House noticed the shifting dynamic from a politician who now has more incentive to confront Obama than to embrace him . A senior administration official told CNN on Sunday that the White House told Christie and Cuomo it was concerned with `` the unintended consequences of policies that are not grounded in science may have on efforts to combat Ebola at its source in West Africa . '' The saga reveals two sides of Chris Christie â€ ” likely to be vying for prominence if he decides next year to run for president in a campaign that will likely contrast his abrasive style of management with the cool , 'no drama ' persona adopted by Obama , which critics see as evidence of disengagement . `` What I think Christie did here was he managed once again , just like Hurricane Sandy , to reassert himself as a very strong and powerful leader , someone who will seize the bull by the horns , '' said Brigid Harrison , an analyst who has watched the governor 's fast rising career from Montclair State University . In standing up to federal health authorities , Christie assumed leadership of those suspicious of Washington officials who insist their risk to Americans from Ebola is miniscule . `` Being an undeclared candidate in a hotly contested primary ... Christie 's calling card is going to be that bold leadership â€ ” and he is going to show it time and time again , '' said Jonathan Jaffe , a public affairs consultant who runs a daily newsletter on New Jersey politics .
Chris Christie struck a defiant tone in responding to Ebola . Christie 's response shows the tone that will be on display if he runs for president .