Mitt and Ann Romney sat down Friday with Kelly Ripa and former New York Giants player Michael Strahan, hosts of ABC's "LIVE! with Kelly and Michael," for an interview that will air Tuesday. Early excerpts from the interview were released by the Romney pool report, and the questions veered more toward "Jersey Shore" than say, the current unrest in the Mideast:
Mitt Romney described the night he met Ann at a party at a friend’s house. Mitt Romney was a senior in high school and Ann Romney was a sophomore.
“She caught my eye. I went up to her and found she’d come with someone else. And I said to the guy she came with, you know, I live closer to Ann than you do. Can I give her a ride home for you? And he said sure.
Strahan: He fell for that?
M. Romney: Yeah, he fell for that. So, we’ve been going steady ever since then.”
Ripa: Do you have time for date nights?
M. Romney: Date nights. Hardly.
It was nice to be in New York together last night. That’s rare, but we typically get Sunday morning. We’re able to go to church together.
The hardest part of the campaign, the hardest part is that we’re apart more. … We’ve been together since we were kids, really.
The best part of the campaign is all the people you meet day in and day out, and their energy.
At the end of the day, I have a hard time falling asleep just because of all the people I’ve met and all the enthusiasm they pass along.”
Mitt Romney was asked what he and the president agree on:
“We agree upon him taking out Osama bin Laden. I’m sure he glad he did that.
And I think we agree on the importance of family. I think he’s a fine husband and father, and I think the role model for our nation of being a good father is a very good thing. I appreciate that. We’re concerned about schools and health care, and I think the budget. We go about these things in different ways. We have different approaches to those things.”
Rapid Fire Round with the Romneys
Strahan: What is your guilty pleasure?
A. Romney: Doughnuts for me.
Romney: Uh, peanut butter sandwiches and chocolate milk.
Ripa: Who would you pick to play each other in the movie?
M. Romney: Uh, let’s see. Let me think about that. For me, my favorite actor is Gene Hackman, so I’d like Gene Hackman.
Ripa: You’d like Gene Hackman to play your wife?
M. Romney: No, to play me! Oh, to play her? Oh! [LOTS OF LAUGHTER/Crosstalk]
Ripa: Is this your first marital fight?
A. Romney: I bet Gene would really think that would be a great idea.
M. Romney: You know, what was that movie he was in "Birdcage" when he… [crosstalk] no, I think for her maybe Michelle Pfieffer.
Ripa: That’s actually perfect.
A. Romney: Oh, he’s made it easy for me, Gene Hackman.
Strahan: Alright, favorite football team?
M. Romney: Sorry about that, Mr. Giants, but for me it’s New England Patriots. [APPLAUSE]
Ripa: What’s the most embarrassing thing besides this show you’ve ever done?
M. Romney: I’ll tell one of her (tells story of falling on her butt in Dubuque).
A. Romney: We had the unbelievable pleasure of spending the night at the White House and the next morning I was like, exploring everywhere. And I was supposed to be at meetings and Mitt was like, 'Ann, you’re supposed to go', and I said 'no, I’m exploring'. I went into one door -- I was with Anita Perry, by the way -- I’ll put blame on her. And Anita and I were like, we wonder what’s behind this door? It was George Bush having a massage. [CROWD GOES NUTS]
Ripa: Which George Bush?
A. Romney: George W, and he was covered up, but I was so embarrassed that the next time I did see him, I didn’t know what I was going to say to him. We were going down the elevator from the White House, going to an event together and I walked up to the elevator and am just like blushing, blushing, blushing. And he looks at me, and he winks as he does and says, ‘I look pretty good, don’t I?’”
Strahan: Does Mitt snore?
A. Romney: On rare occasions. Rare occasions.
Ripa: Who hogs the blankets?
M. Romney: No question about that, that’s Ann, that’s Ann. And she takes a lot more blankets than I do. She has piled up… [inaudible]
Strahan: Ann, what does Mitt wear to bed [LAUGHTER]?
M. Romney: Really? Really?
Strahan: I didn’t write the question.
M. Romney: I hear the best answer is, 'as little as possible'.
Ripa: What’s your favorite junk foods?
A. Romney: [inaudible] I do love doughnuts, and they love me too.
M. Romney: Reese's Peanut Butter cups. That’s not really junk food, but that’s a favorite.
A. Romney: That’s what Mitt considers a healthy snack.
Strahan: If you could go to dinner with anyone, who would it be?
M. Romney: Probably Nelson Mandela, a world hero.
A. Romney: Mother Theresa. [inaudible] Can we go back in history?
End of Rapid-Fire Round
What is your biggest pet peeve with each other?
A. Romney: He doesn't like the way I squeeze the toothpaste. It's just random. It's random.
M. Romney: Oh, that's right. She doesn't go from the bottom and work up, and she leaves the top off.
Ripa: She's busy. She raised your five sons.
M. Romney: I put up with a lot. Woody Allen said that 95 percent of history is explained as a man trying to impress a woman. And that's true in my life. My life is trying to impress Ann, so I make very little out of the fact that she squeezes the toothpaste from the middle.
A. Romney: Oh, about Mitt. Let's see. There can only be one? Sometimes it's how often can we keep going over, this is a problem or that's a problem. Like, OK, keep looking at the good side.
TV show:
M. Romney: "Modern Family."
A. Romney: Yeah, we love watching.Ripa: I heard your second favorite was "Kelly & Michael." (coughing) I heard that. Maybe it was just in my own head. Do you keep up with the Kardashians?
A. Romney: Who keeps up with the Kardashians? Who can keep up with the Kardashians?
Strahan: OK, the most serious question of all? Honey Boo Boo or Snooki?
Ripa: Do you know who either of these are?
M. Romney: I'm kind of a Snooki fan. Look how tiny she's gotten. She's lost weight. She's energetic. Just her spark-plug personality is kind of fun.
Ripa: There you go. Last one -- should I just pick one? Blackberry or iPhone.
M. Romney: iPhone
A. Romney: iPhoneRipa: I'm going to pick one more, last one. Does Mitt sing in the shower?
A. Romney: No, but he sings. We horseback ride, trail-ride sometimes. And as soon as he puts his leg over the saddle, sits on that horse, out it belts.
Ripa: Wow -- good for you. What's his go-to karaoke song?
A. Romney: Well, it's western. Especially if we're riding, you know, trails on the mountains.
M. Romney: Absolutely, absolutely.
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