The Hug changed American politics. How a Christie-Obama greeting signaled the death of civility.

Chris Christie was finally drifting off to sleep, hoping for a little rest before sunrise.

Then the phone rang.

Superstorm Sandy had arrived hours earlier, slamming New Jersey with unprecedented devastation. Lethal winds howled. Violent waves battered the coast.

Now the political sh-tstorm was coming.

How bad is it? President Barack Obama asked on the other end of the line at 2 a.m.

Bad, Christie said.

Neither man realized it yet, but Christie, a rising GOP star, was about to put on a political clinic on how not to conduct yourself in the eyes of right-wing Republicans.

Sandy made landfall here on Oct. 29, 2012. Two days later, the governor Mitt Romneys attack dog during that years presidential campaign waited for his favorite Democratic target on the tarmac of Atlantic City International Airport. There, just six days before the election, Christie committed a political sin so iconic its been dissected, debated and derided for 3,651 days and counting.

Political mythology tells us Christie wrapped himself around Obama in a big ol bear hug, a scene so sickening it could make an Iowa Republican choke on his State Fair corn dog.

But there was no hug, Christie will tell you.

Video evidence reviewed by NJ Advance Media shows unequivocally that it was indeed just a handshake. Nothing more. And Christie will go to the grave defending himself.

We know how to hug in New Jersey, he scoffed in a recent interview with NJ Advance Media, and that was not it.

But legend shattered reality. The tough guy became the hug guy, zipped up in a navy blue fleece emblazoned with his name. And 10 years later, The Hug remains an inflection point that stained Christies political career, symbolized the death of bipartisan politics and foreshadowed the hyper-divisive Donald Trump era of political incivility.Gov. Chris Christie wasn't known to be warm and fuzzy. But a friendly greeting with a visiting president stains his political career in the eyes of some. Christie briefs the media on Oct. 30, 2012 at the Regional Operations and Intelligence Center in Ewing just hours after Superstorm Sandy hit. Tim Larsen | N.J. Governor's Office

The Hug became larger than life, a dividing line marking the end of a gentler era in American politics and the beginning of todays scorched earth reality.

The Hug Heard Round the World was the hinge point of swinging from some acceptance of bipartisanship to almost the obliteration of bipartisanship, said Barbara Perry, a presidential historian at the University of Virginia.

Republicans demonized Christie for working with Obama, turning The Hug into a scarlet letter during his 2016 presidential bid a black mark that some conservatives use against him to this day.A dangerous message was sent: Dont. Play. Nice. With. The. Enemy.Ever.

And all that mockery amid the rising tide of Trumpism sent a dangerous message throughout the party, Perry said.

To hell with civility. To hell with bipartisanship. To hell with whatever you thought mattered.

Dont. Play. Nice. With. The. Enemy.

Ever.President Barack Obama and Gov. Chris Christie hold a press conference Oct. 31, 2012 after touring the damage in New Jersey from Superstorm Sandy. Christie praised Obama for springing into action. He then went a perilous step further, saying they had a great working relationship.Tim Larsen | N.J. Governor's Office

It says to the true believers in Trumpism do not even shake hands with or be seen on the same stage or in the same photo with someone from the other party, Perry said.

A decade later, NJ Advance Media interviewed Christie, Romney, Republican strategists and political experts, who say the legacy of The Hug is complicated yet profound.

Christie still gets grilled about The Hug as he mulls a 2024 presidential run. Romney told NJ Advance Media hes long since moved on. And Obama well, he wouldnt comment on what happened, maybe because Democrats never complained about it in the first place.The Hug Heard Round the World was the hinge point.Barbara Perry, University of Virginia presidential historian

The GOP didnt instantly transform after that fateful moment in Atlantic City. But the lingering national backlash reveals the depths of vitriol among some voters and party leaders who reject political norms and basic decorum, analysts say.

The Hug is a story of two men, one greeting and a jump-the-shark reaction that makes the memories from that day seem like something from another world.

Its something that we probably wont see again in a long time, said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.Friendly? Yes. Cordial even? Indeed. But a hug? Gov. Chris Christie greets President Barack Obama at Atlantic City Airport two days after Superstorm Sandy devastated the state.Tim Larsen | N.J. Governor's Office The visit

Barack Obama hit the tarmac on Oct. 31, 2012 and took three steps, extending his right hand toward Chris Christie. The governor, dressed in his navy fleece and dark gray slacks, stepped forward, stretching his own hand toward the president.

The webs of their thumbs collided.

Obama, a transcendent icon among Democrats, and Christie, a GOP stalwart nearing the height of his powers, stood face to face.

Obama patted Christies lower right shoulder twice with his left hand and rested it there as their right hands bobbed up and down. At first, quickly with force. Then slowly and gently. Then quickly again.

Christies left hand remained at his side as they chatted, never touching Obama. On the 14th bob of their hands, Obama patted Christie on the shoulder again as they turned their backs to the camera.

Christie greeted Craig Fugate, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator. Obama, in khaki pants and a navy windbreaker, patted Christie on the shoulder again.

Then it was over.

No hug.

The whole damn greeting lasted about 10 seconds.I looked at him and I said, You know Im not voting for you, right?Chris Christie to then-President Barack Obama

Its become this kind of iconic moment and I understand why, Christie said, but I will tell you that in the context of what we were going through, it was another event that day.

The two visited a shelter in Brigantine. Obama hugged a crying marina owner (for real this time). Christie comforted residents who lost their homes.

At a joint press conference, Christie praised Obama for springing into action. He then went a perilous step further, saying they had a great working relationship.

I cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and compassion for our state and the people of our state, he said.

In a recent interview with NJ Advance Media and in his 2019 book, Let Me Finish, Christie continues to defend his actions.

Politics mattered so little to Christie that day, he says, he wasnt even thinking about the ramifications of the meeting when he woke up.

My biggest worry was I knew I was gonna be walking through a lot of wet stuff, and I didnt have any boots, said Christie, who showed up in white and black Nikes with a big gray swoosh.President Barack Obama hugs Donna Vanzant, the owner of North Point Marina in Brigantine, after Superstorm Sandy decimated the Jersey Shore. Tim Larsen | N.J. Governor's Office

By now, New Jerseyans knew the severity of the storm damage. Sandy flooded cities, smashed trees into houses, submerged cars, destroyed beach communities and claimed 38 lives, according to Daniel Kelly, executive director of the Governors Disaster Recovery Office, although some accounts put that number higher.

The Garden State desperately needed help. And the president was here holding the purse strings of the federal government.

But even before Obama arrived, some Republicans were fixated on a different story: Christie, Romneys top surrogate, stunningly going off script like Benedict Arnold in tennis shoes less than a week before the election.

There was the traitor Christie on their TV gushing about how many times Obama called him and how attentive he was. The traitor Christie bristling at questins about a potential Romney visit. The traitor Christie blustering that if you think he gives a damn about presidential politics during the storm then you dont know him.

My view on it was, Im the governor of the state thats been devastated, Christie recently told NJ Advance Media. Its not time for me to play politics with this.

Yet natural disasters offer huge political opportunities (theres a reason HBOs Veep made an entire episode about it). And just six days before the election, Obama was playing comforter in chief on TV while Romney was stuck on the sidelines.

For months, Republicans had branded Obama as a weak and ineffectual leader. Now Christie was giving him an easy photo op looking like everything the GOP said he wasnt.I felt like it was the right thing to do, and not only that, it was the only thing to do.Chris Christie on welcoming President Barack Obama after Sandy

To conservatives outside of New Jersey, Christie was essentially kicking the soccer ball into the wrong goal.

Political heat? Screw it. Christie put his duty as governor first, he said.

I felt like it was the right thing to do, and not only that, it was the only thing to do, Christie said.

Their hu ahem greeting has endured as the iconic scene from that day. But a decade later, Christie best remembers a different moment.

The two sat across from each other in the narrow confines of Marine One, knees almost touching. Obama thanked Christie for his positive comments to the media. Christie told Obama he meant it the president was doing a good job.

There was an awkward silence in the helicopter.

I looked at him and I said, You know Im not voting for you, right? Christie recalled. And he just started to laugh and he said, Yeah I was pretty confident about that.President Barack Obama and Gov. Chris Christie view Superstorm Sandy damage from Marine One on Oct. 31, 2012. But Obama still didn't get his vote.Pete Souza | White House photographer The backlash

Lets be real. New Jerseyans didnt give a crap about The Hug.

Polling about a month after Sandy showed more than 90% of the state praised Christies handling of the storm, including a whopping 81% who thought the governor and the president showed needed cooperation and bipartisanship, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll.

(Remarkable agreement in a state where residents are bitterly divided over what to call their breakfast sandwich meat.)

I think Chris Christie wanted to create, wanted to have needed, on behalf of the state a strong relationship with the Obama administration, said Ben Dworkin, director of Rowan Universitys Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship. And, you know, in that moment who cares?

But national donors cared. Prominent right-wing voices cared that he appeared to hurt Romney. Political reporters cared that he looked hypocritical. And eventually some voters in Iowa and New Hampshire would care, too.

People who criticized Christie, I think were those who were so into their funnel or their partisan zone that they didnt understand the context of it all, Dworkin said. There were dead people. People died. Come on.All of us were calling it the bromance 10 years ago… It took on a life of its own.Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University

Mike DuHaime, Christies calm and collected top adviser, fielded one of the first complaints. He was still without electricity on the day Obama visited, but charged his cell phone in his car so he could stay connected.

There was a story of a mom on Staten Island whose two children were swept away and killed. I had just heard this story, and a national donor from the middle of the country had happened to call, DuHaime said.

The donor was angry Christie was willing to even appear with the president during a natural disaster.

I still remember where I was standing on my front lawn, cursing this guy out with trees down all around, DuHaime recalled.

As the initial storm coverage faded, Christie and Obamas relationship remained national news, although the word hug is notably hard to find in the first draft of this history.

As soon as the visit was announced, The Daily Caller, a conservative news site, questioned why Christie was helping Obamas reelection campaign.

The Washington Post said Christie has gone soft on President Obama.

And Reuters asked, Has Chris Christie swung the election for Obama?A bromance or quid pro quo? President Barack Obama returned to New Jersey in 2013, sharing a moment with Gov. Chris Christie at Seaside Heights.Star-Ledger file photo

Suddenly Obama, the contemplative Black Democrat, and Christie, the pugnacious white Republican, became a classic odd couple sensation Thick and thin the Philadelphia Daily News headline read.

All of us were calling it the bromance 10 years ago, you know, whether were talking news outlets, whether were talking late night shows, said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University.

It took on a life of its own.

While New Jerseyans were picking up the pieces of their tattered belongings, Christie was being torn to shreds left and right. By Rupert Murdoch. Jon Stewart. Saturday Night Live.

Ill be a good soldier. I will vote for Romney, SNLs Bobby Moynihan said, playing Christie three days after the Obama visit. But Im gonna haaaaaate it!

Obama won the 2012 race by 126 electoral votes and swept nearly every battleground state. He won New Jersey for the second time, taking 58% of the vote.

Unlike Christie, hes seemingly never asked about The Hug and suffered no political consequences.There were dead people. People died. Come on.Ben Dworkin of Rowan University, on critics of Chris Christie after "The Hug"

Despite the media frenzy and donor handwringing, Christies rise continued at least at first.

Polling showed Christie as a top GOP contender in a hypothetical 2016 matchup against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

But the good times didnt last.

The Bridgegate scandal hit Christie hard. Sensing weakness, other candidates tossed their hats in the ring. Many prospective Christie donors never materialized.

By 2016, the Republican Party Christie had come up in had transformed. The birther movement. The Tea Party. Trumps political rise. All of it had reshaped the GOP and its views on bipartisanship.

And, of course, Christie was dogged by that pesky hug.Now THAT'S a hug. Former Gov. Chris Christie and then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo embrace in 2019 at the end of a lecture at Seton Hall University School of Law.Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

Though most initial news coverage appears to accurately depict the greeting, the handshake began to morph into a hug in political articles as early as 2013.

A New York Times story about Christie meeting with key Romney donors in June 2013 said no one brought up the hug. Two months later, The National Review ripped Christie for happily hugging President Obama on the tarmac.

Christie received an on-air apology in 2015 from Fox News Greta Van Susteren after looking at the picture and the video, I concluded there was no hug.

But it was too late.

Obama wasnt just any Democrat to the hardline GOP base. He was a Muslim. A terrorist. A socialist plotting to destroy America from within.

And he was Black.

All of those elements add into the mix here to make it a very inflammatory time, said Perry, the presidential historian.Hes a good friend, and I appreciate the help he gave me during my campaign.U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney on Chris Christie

The Hug and the gag reflex it triggered on the right was too easy for Republican rivals to pass up.

In a Republican presidential debate, Sen. Rand Paul accused Christie of giving Obama a big hug. He also trolled him again in 2016 on National Hug Day.

However, the photo Paul posted was actually from Obamas visit in 2011 after Hurricane Irene and still not a hug. Nevertheless, photos of Christie with his arm on or around Obamaduring the Irene visit became conflated with Obamas Sandy visit.

Christie didnt help himself by winning Obama a stuffed bear on the Point Pleasant boardwalk when the president returned to survey the shore restoration in May 2013.

Was there chumminess?

Sure.

But a big hug?

Still never happened.Chris Christie was Mitt Romneys attack dog during the 2012 presidential campaign. Then came "The Hug." But Romney has apparently forgiven and forgotten.James M. Dobson | The Associated Press The legacy

All these years later, the man with the biggest reason to be upset with Christie doesnt seem to care.

Romney, now a U.S. senator from Utah, appeared amused that anyone would even ask about The Hug.

So much water has gone under the bridge since then, I cant imagine commenting on it or actually being able to evaluate it, Romney told NJ Advance Media in September before leaving the Capitol. Hes a good friend, and I appreciate the help he gave me during my campaign.

Yet the legacy of The Hug remains deeper and more complex than Romneys forgiveness.

People needed help. And a Democratic president and Republican governor came together in a cooperative spirit that seems unthinkable today.

That cloudy October day remains both a last hurrah for American bipartisanship and an agonizing reminder of how divided weve become.

It was one of the early indications of how partisan tribalism was just going to undermine any ability to reach across the aisle in the coming years, said Murray, the Monmouth University pollster.

Months after Sandy, Congress approved a $60 billion relief package for New Jersey and New York, despite heavy opposition from Republicans including then-U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, who appealed for Hurricane Ian relief last month and hosted President Joe Biden in Florida after a notably terse handshake.I liked (Christie) until he gave Obama a hug. Gloria Schwarz, an Iowa caucus attendee, in 2016

Cynics will say Obama saw an opportunity to lead on TV just before Election Day. And they will point out that Christie gladly seized a chance to bolster his bipartisan image in a state with more Democrats than Republicans. Some may even say Obama went as far as to return the favor in 2013 when he appeared in Asbury Park alongside Christie in the middle of his re-election campaign while snubbing Barbara Buono, Christies Democratic rival.

But maybe they each had their priorities in order, Murray said.

Sometimes it is hard to imagine that there are flashes of moments when people do the right things for the right reasons, he said.

Bipartisanship has always been the exception rather than the rule in American politics, said Michael Kazin, a history professor at Georgetown University. If youre perceived as helping someone from the other party, then youre seen as hurting your own.

But theres long been an understanding that certain situations warrant at least civil behavior toward the other side, he said.

Not anymore.

Making political hay over a handshake or a semi-embrace is ridiculous, Dworkin said. I think its so unfortunate that were even talking about it.

Criticism of the Christie-Obama greeting was a low point in American politics, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker said.

When we vilify each other so much that we cant even show human decency then that becomes a weakness, Booker told NJ Advance Media.Gov. Chris Christie talks with President Barack Obama on Nov. 2, 2012 about conditions in the state after Superstorm Sandy.Tim Larsen | N.J. Governor's Office

Christie dropped out of the presidential race in February 2016 following a disappointing sixth-place finish in the New Hampshire primary. He then endorsed Trump, arguably the future presidents highest-profile supporter at that point in the campaign.

Christies advisers maintain that his two biggest challenges in the race were the fallout from Bridgegate and the rise of Trump, who stole Christies straight-talkin lane.

But Obamas Sandy visit and The Hug remained an issue.

I liked (Christie) until he gave Obama a hug, Gloria Schwarz, an Iowa caucus attendee, told NJ Advance Media in 2016.

Christie thinks praising Obama during Sandy probably did more damage than the greeting.

But whether it was the physical greeting or the verbal flattery, the mere fact that Christie was willing to work closely with a Democratic president, even in a time of crisis, became an unforgivable sin to some.

What was seen as a great positive in New Jersey was seen as a negative to some primary voters, DuHaime said. Maybe that was a great barometer of where politics was heading.

Christie has long maintained he did nothing wrong and would do the same thing today if offered a do-over.

He asks you to imagine what wouldve happened if he told the people of New Jersey that he turned away help from the president in one of its darkest hours.

I mean, I cant imagine what the reaction would have been by the people of our state, he said, and rightfully so.I took enormous sh-t for that. Chris Christie on "The Hug" on a recent episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher

With 2024 on the horizon, Christie has distanced himself from Trump, debunking myths of a stolen 2020 election and blaming Trumps rhetoric for inciting the Jan. 6 mob that stormed the Capitol.

But The Hug is likely to follow him.

Earlier this year, he criticized Trump in one of his appearances on ABC News. Greg Kelly, a Newsmax host, fired off a tweet reminding his audience of Christies other betrayals, including when he hugged Obama.

Christie was asked yet again about Obamas Sandy visit earlier this month on an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher.

I took enormous sh-t for that, Christie told Maher.

For all the drama that day caused, there is at least one part of it that Christie wants to hold on to, though.

The fleece.

The blue zip up is now an artifact from a different time. A symbol of who Christie once was. A memory of a world where a Republican governor wasnt worried about showing respect and gratitude to a Democratic president coming to help his utterly devastated state.

I cant remember the last time I put it on, Christie said, but its in the closet.Gov. Chris Christie and President Barack Obama console residents sheltering at the Brigantine Community Center on Oct. 31, 2012 after Superstorm Sandy decimated the Jersey Shore.Tim Larsen | N.J. Governor's Office

NJ Advance Media staff writer Jonathan D. Salant contributed to this report.

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Adam Clark may be reached at aclark@njadvancemedia.com.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewArco.