Christie on Springsteen relationship: 'We’ve had a very interesting journey'
GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie, a Bruce Springsteen mega-fan, says his relationship with the music star has had its “ups and downs.”
“We’ve had a very interesting journey,” Christie told host Steve Scully of Springsteen at a SiriusXM town hall at New Hampshire’s New England College on Tuesday.
“Because Bruce is obviously a pretty liberal Democrat. I'm a conservative Republican. But we both are Jersey guys, and we grew up, and we've had ups and downs in our relationship.”
The former New Jersey governor — who noted that he’s been to 152 Springsteen shows — also said the two shared a “great conversation” after he attended one of the “Born in the USA” singer’s concerts in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“My wife and I and my oldest son we were in the pit in front of the stage with a whole bunch of other people,” Christie recalled.
“I thought Bruce saw me during the show,” he continued. “And my wife thought I was crazy: ‘Oh yeah sure, Bruce smiled and waved to you.’”
“We get in the car, we're driving back to New Jersey, my cell phone rings at 11:45 at night,” the 61-year-old White House hopeful said.
“So I answered the phone and I said, ‘Chris Christie,’ and he said, ‘Gov, it's Bruce.’ And he said, ‘I saw you in the pit tonight,’” Christie said of his unexpected called from The Boss.
“And I went to my wife. I go, ‘I told you. I told you he saw me!’” Christie exclaimed.
Springsteen, 73, campaigned for Barack Obama during the 2012 presidential race and performed at a 2021 primetime TV special for President Biden’s inauguration. In 2014, the entertainer mocked Christie, the then-governor, over a George Washington Bridge scandal that caused a traffic jam, performing a parody song with Jimmy Fallon on the comedian’s late-night show.
But, Christie insisted during the town hall that "we've had a lot of good conversations of late about what's going on in the world, and we share, as older guys now from New Jersey, a lot of concerns about the future. And so maybe that's something to build on.”
Asked by Scully if Springsteen would ever sing at his inauguration if he were to win the 2024 election, Christie replied, “Oh, that's a lot to ask. I don't know.”
“He's still a Democrat,” Christie said of Springsteen.
“How about this? The best I think I could hope for is that I could earn his vote between now and Nov. [2024],” Christie said.
“If I were able to do that, I'd be happy. But I'm not counting on it,” he said.
“If I need one vote to win, I'm not counting on that one. Even after going to 152 shows.”