Gov. Christie: Hug from Bruce Springsteen left me 'weeping'

Speaking outside a shelter in Keansburg on Monday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) told a crowd that he'd confessed to President Barack Obama that getting a hug from famed musician Bruce Springsteen on Friday night left him "weeping."

"Bruce [was] apparently flying around with the president today on the last day of his campaign, and Bruce said to me how proud he was of his state and how proud he was of the people of his state, and how tough they are," Christie said. "He'll be back to the Jersey shore soon. We had a good conversation today. It was great to talk to the president and even better to talk to Bruce."

He added that Springsteen, a prominent supporter of Obama's, gave him a hug during Friday night's benefit concert aired on NBC.

"They asked me to come over to support their telethon for Hurricane Sandy victims," Christie explained. "Bruce and I had a chance to chat on Friday night... Great. We hugged. We hugged. Yeah. And he told me it's official: we're friends."

Christie previously bragged about his Springsteen fandom and claimed that he's been to more than 100 Springsteen concerts in his life. He even backed that talk up and put his love for "The Boss" on display in September, singing Springsteen's "Thunder Road" live on the air with NBC late night host Jimmy Fallon.

"So, I told the president today that the hug was great," Christie added. "And when we got home, there was a lot of weeping because of the hug. The president asked, 'Why?' And I said, 'Well, to be honest, I was the one doing the weeping.' So, we had a great conversation on Friday night."

He concluded: "Bruce has said he will be here to help this community as soon as he gets off tour. I'm looking forward to spending some more time with him as we go forward."

For Christie, who's become persona non grata for many prominent Republicans due to his effusive praise of Obama's hurricane response, his latest remarks aren't likely to earn him any more conservative admirers around the country.

However, , in the wake of the massive destruction wrought by Hurricane Sandy: "If you think right now I give a damn about presidential politics then you don’t know me."

This video was published to YouTube on November 5, 2012.