Donald Trump names deep blue state that's ready to leave Dem 'horror show'
Donald Trump said Monday that New Jersey - a state home to what's known as his 'Summer White House ' in Bedminster - is ready to turn blue starting with this year's gubernatorial election.
The president spent Monday night holding a tele-rally for Jack Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker who transformed from a critic to vocal backer of the president and considered the heavy favorite to win the GOP nomination in the June 10 primary.
Ciattarelli, who came within three points of incumbent Democrat Phil Murphy in 2021, is now staking his claim to flip the state house red for the first time since Chris Christie won re-election in 2013.
The momentum appeared to continue into 2024, with Trump losing to Kamala Harris in the state by just five points, a 10-point improvement on 2020 and the best Republican performance in New Jersey since 1992.
The phone call with Trump lasted about 10 minutes, with the president saying that voters will decide whether New Jersey remains a 'high-tax, high-crime sanctuary state.'
'New Jersey is ready to pop out of that blue horror show and really get in there and vote for somebody that´s going to make things happen,' the president said.
The president landed on a familiar refrain for his pitch to voters in the Garden State.
'It's like 'Make America Great Again.' It's 'Make New Jersey Great Again,' Trump said, adding that if Democrats retain power in Trenton, the state 'economy will wither and die and you'll be living in a nightmare of chaos and crime.'
The president warned that 'you sort of have that to a certain extent now.'
Trump's call for early voting echoed the pitch he made to voters in the 2024 presidential election.
Ciattarelli said his first executive order if elected would be to end any sanctuary policies for immigrants in the country illegally.
Currently, the state attorney general has directed local law enforcement not to assist federal agents in civil immigration matters.
There is no legal definition for sanctuary city policies , but they generally limit cooperation by local law enforcement with federal immigration officers.
Ciattarelli also said the attorney general he appoints if he wins won't be bringing lawsuits against the White House.
New Jersey's current attorney general has pursued several high-profile challenges to the president's agenda, including a case challenging Trump's order calling for the end of birthright citizenship .
Ciattarelli is running against former radio talk host Bill Spadea, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac and a southern New Jersey contractor named Justin Barbera.
The Democratic field isn't set. There's a six-way contest between Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill (pictured); Mayors Ras Baraka of Newark and Steven Fulop of Jersey City; former state Senate President Steve Sweeney; and teacher's union president Sean Spiller
Early in-person voting begins Tuesday and goes through Sunday. Primary day is June 10, though voters have been sending mail-in ballots in since late April.
Though the primary isn't over, Ciattarelli hinted at what attacks against his eventual Democratic challenger in the general election might be, saying the party's eight years in the governorship and more than two decades of power in the legislature have been a failure.
The Democratic field isn't set. There's a six-way contest between Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill; Mayors Ras Baraka of Newark and Steven Fulop of Jersey City; former state Senate President Steve Sweeney; and teacher's union president Sean Spiller.
New Jersey tilts Democratic in presidential and Senate elections in particular, and the party has a roughly 800,000 voter registration advantage over Republicans.
But independents make up a significant bloc as well, and voters have tended to alternate between Democratic and Republican administrations for governor.
Murphy crawled over the finish line to a second term, ending with 51.22 percent of the vote to 48.00 against former state GOP lawmaker Ciattarelli.
It was expected to be an easy victory for Murphy for weeks leading up to Election Day.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS King of the Hill actor Jonathan Joss' suspected killer is out of jail on $200K bail following fatal shooting
Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, the man suspected of fatally shooting King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation actor Jonathan Joss, is out of jail on a $200,000 bail. Just days after he was arrested for murder, law enforcement officers in San Antonio confirmed to TMZ that Alvarez, who was Joss' neighbor, has 'been placed under house arrest.' He is required to wear an ankle monitor and will 'undergo random drug and alcohol testing.' During his detention, Alvarez is also forbidden from possessing firearms. Joss, 59, died in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday after a reported altercation with Alvarez outside his home. Alvarez was captured by law enforcement and booked on suspicion of murder. The report from the San Antonio Police Department obtained by states Alvarez uttered 'I shot him' as he was detained by arresting officers. New details about the run-up to the violent crime have also emerged via the report, with an unnamed witness stating they drove Joss from Austin to his burned down San Antonio home around 7pm on June 1 to check his mail. The witness said she pulled up and parked in the driveway while she waited for Joss and another witness to check the mail. Joss' husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales has claimed he was with the actor on this trip and during the murder. Per the report, she said she saw suspect Alvarez pull up in his vehicle with a passenger and stop 'directly behind her car.' She allegedly saw Joss and Alvarez argue in her rearview mirror, and claimed Alvarez told Joss 'he had a gun and would shoot [Joss].' She claims Alvarez then shot Joss. Per the report, Joss was pronounced dead at the scene at 7.20pm and Alvarez was detained by police and 'immediately told them "I shot him." His weapons were seized. The report states that '[Alvarez] intentionally and knowingly discharged a weapon at [Joss] resulting in his death Joss' husband has since claimed the star's death was a homophobia-fueled murder - although police have dismissed this theory. A statement from a San Antonio PD spokesman read: 'Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss's murder was related to his sexual orientation.' Last Saturday, Joss — who boasts 9K social media followers — shared a video of himself in good spirits, urging fans to visit him at Tribe Comics and Games in Austin, TX for a signing. The Our Lady of the Lake University grad's last IMDb-credited gig was voicing characters for CD Projekt RED's video game Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty in 2023 alongside Keanu Reeves and Idris Elba. Jonathan also voiced the character Healing in Paul McComas and Holly Trasti's animated drama Unplugged alongside the late Louis Gossett Jr., the late Ed Asner, Christina Ricci and Jeri Ryan. But Joss is best known for voicing musician and healer John Redcorn, who embarked on a 14-year-long affair with anchorwoman Nancy Hicks-Gribble (Ashley Gardner), on the Fox animated sitcom from seasons 2–13. On January 23, Jonathan suffered the loss of his three beloved dogs when his childhood home, that his father built in 1957, burned to the ground. Joss also lost his car in the blaze, but the GoFundMe organized by Logan Kostroun successfully raised $21,300 from a $15K goal. But neighbors told TMZ on Monday that his house burned down because he attempted to use a BBQ pit to heat it after the city allegedly 'shut off his power when the property was deemed unsafe and uninhabitable.' On Monday, the star's widow Tristan Kern de Gonzales — whom he wed on Valentine's Day — claimed he was murdered after they were 'harassed' for two years by 'openly homophobic' individuals who 'did not accept our relationship.' 'When we returned to the site to check our mail, we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress,' the South Carolina native recalled on Facebook. 'While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired. Jonathan and I had no weapons.' 'My focus now is on protecting Jonathan's legacy and honoring the life we built together,' Tristan wrote in a Facebook He continued, 'We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life.' Tristan added, 'My focus now is on protecting Jonathan's legacy and honoring the life we built together.' Jonathan is also remembered for his role as Chief Ken Hotate in five episodes of NBC's mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation spanning 2011–2015. Joss had small roles in TV shows like Walker Texas Ranger, Charmed, ER, Ray Donovan and Tulsa King. He also acted in films like True Grit, The Magnificent Seven, Pocahontas 2: Journey to a New World and Johnson Family Vacation.
Times
13 minutes ago
- Times
Tesla UK sales down 45% in new blow for Elon Musk
Act now to keep your subscription We've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.
The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
UN Security Council will vote on a resolution demanding a Gaza ceasefire, with US veto expected
The U.N. Security Council will vote Wednesday on a resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and the Trump administration is expected to veto it because it does not link the ceasefire to the release of all the hostages held by Hamas. The resolution before the U.N.'s most powerful body also does not condemn Hamas' deadly attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war, or say the militant group must disarm and withdraw from Gaza — two other U.S. demands. The U.S. vetoed the last resolution on Gaza in November, under the Biden administration, because the ceasefire demand was not directly linked to the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Similarly, the current resolution demands those taken by Hamas and other groups be released, but it does not make it a condition for a truce. Calling the humanitarian situation in Gaza 'catastrophic,' the resolution, put forth by the 15-member council's 10 elected members, also calls for 'the immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the U.N. and humanitarian partners.' President Donald Trump's administration has tried to ramp up its efforts to broker peace in Gaza after 20 months of war. However, Hamas has sought amendments to a U.S. proposal that special envoy Steve Witkoff has called 'totally unacceptable.' The vote follows a decision by an Israeli and U.S.-backed foundation to pause food delivery at its three distribution sites in the Gaza Strip after health officials said dozens of Palestinians were killed in a series of shootings near the sites this week. Israel and the United States say they supported the establishment of the new aid system to prevent Hamas from stealing aid previously distributed by the U.N. The United Nations has rejected the new system, saying it doesn't address Gaza's mounting hunger crisis, allows Israel to use aid as a weapon and doesn't comply with the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. The U.N. says its distribution system throughout Gaza worked very well during the March ceasefire and is carefully monitored. The resolution demands the restoration of all essential humanitarian services in line with humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law and U.N. Security Council resolutions. Several U.N. diplomats from different countries, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions have been private, said they expect the United States to veto the resolution. They also said they expect a similar vote to the one in November, when the 14 other council members supported the resolution. Israel's U.N. Mission said Ambassador Danny Danon, who will speak after the vote, will say the resolution undermines humanitarian relief efforts and ignores Hamas, which is still endangering civilians in Gaza. He also will say the resolution disregards the ceasefire negotiations that are already underway, the mission said. Gaza's roughly 2 million people are almost completely reliant on international aid because Israel's offensive has destroyed nearly all food production capabilities. Israel imposed a blockade on supplies into Gaza on March 2, and limited aid began to enter again late last month after pressure from allies and warnings of famine. 'The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat,' U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement Wednesday. He called for a flood of aid to be let in and for the world body to be the one delivering it. The Security Council has voted on 14 Gaza-related resolutions and approved four since the war began. That is when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The ministry is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government. Its toll is seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers. ___
