CT Dems rip President Trump's first 100 days, but Republicans rip Dems in return

Yahoo

30-04-2025

Gov. Ned Lamont and top Connecticut Democrats ripped President Donald Trump's first 100 days Tuesday as 'an utter disaster.'
But state Republicans simultaneously ripped the Democrats, saying they need to be more focused on problems in Hartford than in Washington, D.C.
Lamont and all constitutional officers, including the state treasurer and attorney general, gathered outside the state Capitol in Hartford to denounce Trump regarding immigration, democracy, tariffs and major volatility on Wall Street.
'He inherited an economy that was good for everybody,' Lamont told reporters. 'Reducing inflation. Growing opportunity for people. This 100 days has been just the opposite. People are scared. People are holding back. We're going the wrong way. He's driving the economy into a ditch.'
Another problem, Lamont said, is that former longtime allies like Canada are now confused about the policies of the United States.
'What happened, America?' Lamont said, referring to the view in other nations. 'We were friends. We were allies. We were family. Now, you're calling for a divorce. That's not good for them, and that's not good for world peace. Meanwhile, we can't tell our enemies from our friends in this administration. Vladimir Putin is going, 'Donald, are you still rootin' for Putin?' It's backwards what we're doing now.'
Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas, the state's chief elections officer, said elections need to be protected from hackers and bad foreign actors.
'The first 100 days have been an utter disaster in the election community,' Thomas said. 'Election security is worse off. Election integrity is worse off, and election funding is worse off.'
But House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford rejected those notions.
'Connecticut Democrats have some nerve,' Candelora said. 'The same party that's turned our state into one of the most unaffordable places to live had the gall to hold another scary press conference with manufactured outrage about affordability and fiscal responsibility—just one day after it was revealed that the departing CSCU chancellor will keep his bloated salary for what sounds like a no-show job. And they defended that. That's not just hypocrisy. It's political theater at its most insulting.'
Candelora was referring to the high-profile case of higher education chancellor Terrence Cheng, who will be keeping his annual salary of more than $440,000 in the final year of his contract after being ousted from his position leading the state's four regional public universities and 12 community colleges.
Cheng has been blasted by Republicans since last year when it was revealed that he and other educators had spent excessively on taxpayer-funded purchasing cards for expensive meals, dry cleaning, alcohol, room service, car washes, and limousine rides, despite having access to a state vehicle. The initial revelations led to audits by the state Comptroller Sean Scanlon, which was requested by Lamont, and the bipartisan auditors of public accounts. While Cheng charged 56 meals that exceeded the state's $50-per-person limit, the chancellor retains discretion to go beyond the limit.
Asked Tuesday about the situation, Lamont said, 'Terrence Cheng has stepped aside. He is no longer in office.'
Senate Republican leader Stephen Harding of Brookfield has repeatedly denounced the spending of Cheng at a time when the university system is seeking more money from the state as the legislature is working to approve the two-year, $55.5 billion budget before the legislative session ends on June 4.
'There are significant issues here in Connecticut — whether it is corruption, waste, fraud, record taxes, and record electric rates,' Harding told The Courant in an interview. 'The Democratic Party in our state doesn't seem to want to do anything about that — on what they can directly control right here. All they want to talk about is Washington, D.C. So, my challenge to the Democrats of the state is instead of constantly talking about Washington, D.C. every single day, how about we have a discussion about making the lives of the people in the state of Connecticut more affordable, better, and safer on the things that we can directly control? That's what I'm focused on and that's what my party is focused on and will continue to remain focused on.'
State Attorney General William Tong, whose office has filed 13 civil lawsuits against the Trump administration on various issues, said that he needs to hire more assistant attorneys general in order to keep up with the workload in combatting constant executive orders by Trump. He has consistently joined with other states that have more lawyers than Connecticut as the states join together in the battle.
'It's a deluge. It's a nonstop avalanche,' Tong told reporters. 'I'm lucky that I have New York and California at my back.'
Lamont closed his remarks by reciting a well-known song by musician Bob Marley that Lamont has sang in the past.
'Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights,' Lamont said. 'Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight.'
Christopher Keating can be reached at [e-mail]