President Donald Trump urged New Jersey voters Friday night to reject Democrat Mikie Sherrill in next month’s gubernatorial election, calling her a “fake and corrupt radical left Democrat” who would send the state into a “death spiral.”
Trump pushed for the Republican nominee, Jack Ciattarelli, during a telerally hours before he was set to depart for potentially consequential trip to Asia. He also said that after the trip he’ll “be out campaigning for Jack,” though he didn’t say in what capacity. The president’s favorability is under water in New Jersey and Ciattarelli recently hosted a rally that featured MAGA stars but not Trump himself, and the conventional wisdom is that the president could do more damage to Ciattarelli than good if he hit the trail.
Ciattarelli is making his third run for governor. In 2021, he came within three points of defeating incumbent Democrat Phil Murphy, who is now term-limited.
Much of Trump’s focus on the call was on New Jersey’s high energy bills, one of the biggest issues in the tightening race. Sherrill, a four-term congressmember, has promised to declare a state of emergency and freeze energy costs.
“Mikie, as they call her — the only thing she’s got is an unusual name, other than that she’s terrible,” Trump said. He later added: “Mikie Sherrill looks [like] such an innocent name, but her energy policies would send your prices soaring and make New Jersey even more expensive than it already is.”
Trump also alluded to her punishment 30 years ago at the Naval Academy, when she was not allowed to walk at graduation. She has said it was because she didn’t tell on classmates in a massive cheating scandal, and she went on to serve as a Navy helicopter pilot. He said she “had lots of problems in school, lots of problems with honesty for a long time.”
Sherrill said after the call that the event made clear that Ciattarelli would be the “Trump of Trenton” if he wins on Nov. 4. She also criticized Ciattarelli for how he’s responded to Trump saying he’ll withhold funding for the Gateway project to build new rail tunnels connecting New Jersey and New York.
“It’s no surprise Jack is campaigning with Trump in this final stretch, given he is running to be his lackey in New Jersey. Jack has cheered Trump on as he rips away healthcare from hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans and drives up costs while pocketing billions with his tariff regime,” Sherrill said in a statement. “When Jack got Trump on the phone tonight, he couldn’t even bring himself to say a word about New Jersey commuters and Trump’s attack on the Gateway Tunnel Project. It’s pathetic.”
Ciattarelli, a former state assemblymember, was once a critic of Trump but has since embraced him, giving him an “A” grade during a recent debate. On the call, Ciattarelli praised Trump’s policies at the southern border, killing offshore winds projects at the Jersey Shore and signing the so-called Big Beautiful Bill that Ciattarelli said saves average residents about $5,000 a year.
