Presidential candidate and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) swears he’s still a Bruce Springsteen fan — despite comments he made last month that he preferred another New Jersey rocker, Jon Bon Jovi.
Christie has long been a superfan of “The Boss,” having reportedly attended 130 Springsteen concerts. But his comments last month appeared to be a slight to Springsteen, who made fun of Christie’s BridgeGate scandal during an appearance on NBC comedian Jimmy Fallon’s show.
Christie tried to explain his recent answer on Sunday to Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“It’s not an egregious flip flop,” Christie said.
Christie and his wife Mary Pat answered a series of either/or questions last month, from conservative pundit Laura Ingraham. Among them, she asked, “Bruce Springsteen or Bon Jovi?”
Mary Pat asked for clarification: “Their music or their person?”
“No explanation,” Ingraham replied.
After a pause, the governor’s wife settled on Bon Jovi.
The governor agreed: “Bon Jovi.”
But Christie said on “State of the Union” that he was referring to who he preferred as a friend.
“Jon And Dorothea Bon Jovi are friends of ours. They’re good friends of ours, and that was my answer,” Christie told Tapper on the Sunday program. “Bruce’s music is still my favorite music. Come on. Are you kidding?”
Watch the exchange from CNN:
