Former President Donald Trump said Jack Ciattarelli would have beaten Gov. Phil Murphy three years ago if he had sought his endorsement, and praised a likely candidate in next year’s governor’s race, Bill Spadea.
Appearing on Spadea’s NJ 101.5 morning drive radio show this morning in advance of tomorrow’s rally in Wildwood, Trump didn’t mention Ciattarelli by name, but it was clear who he was referring to.
“You had somebody running recently who did pretty well, and he didn’t have great support, to be honest,” Trump said, referring to Ciattarelli. “I think he made some very big mistakes. You know who I’m talking about.”
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, chided Ciattarelli for not seeking his help in his 2021 campaign. Ciattarelli lost by three percentage points.
“This guy never came to ask for my support, and you know what? When MAGA sees that, they don’t like it and they didn’t vote for him. He would have won easily if he did, but he didn’t do that,” Trump said. “He thinks he’s hot stuff, I guess, and he doesn’t have to do that.”
Now, with a likely Ciattarelli vs. Spadea matchup in the 2025 GOP primary, Trump appeared to signal his supporters that he likes Spadea, the New Jersey radio personality mulling a run for governor.
“You’ve had my back from the beginning. I know all about it. That’s why I’m talking to you. I turn, I turn down plenty of requests, I will tell you. But you’ve had my back, and I really appreciate it,” Trump told Spadea. “You are fantastic.”
Trump also suggested that he can carry New Jersey, a state he lost by sixteen points in 2020 and fourteen points in 2016, in the general election.
“We’re going to try and win the state of New Jersey. I want the people to know that I love it,” Trump stated. “You know, it’s not just going to be like, gee, maybe we can get close. We’re going to win it.”
Spadea told Trump he’s ready to help him win the state.
“You can count on me; whatever you need, I’m here for you. Let your team know that whatever we can do from this, uh, from the microphone, from our organizations, we’re here to help,” he said. “Let’s turn it around, get you back in the White House. People need you.”
Spadea told Trump the key to winning New Jersey is “turning out those Republicans, most Republicans, they want you back in there.”
He also took a shot at Ciattarelli.
“You know what? If the last guy running for governor had supported you, he would have won, right?” Spadea asked.
“I say all the time,” Trump told Spadea. “Everybody I support wins.”
Ciattarelli and Trump have had a troubled past.
In 2016, called Trump a “charlatan” and condemned his behavior as embarrassing, saying he is “not fit to be president of the United States.” He toned down his anti-Trump statements in 2021, but backed former Gov. Chris Christie’s 2024 presidential bid.
But after Super Tuesday, Ciattarelli endorsed Trump for the first time.
A super PAC run by two former top Trump advisors, Kitchen Table Conservatives, has been seeking to limit Spadea’s capacity to appeal to the former president’s supporters. They’ve run ads with clips of Spadea criticizing Trump on his radio show.
The field of Republican gubernatorial candidates also includes State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield), a moderate who proudly shows his disdain for Trump. On Monday, former State Sen. Ed “The Trucker” Durr (R-Logan), a staunch Trump supporter, will also join the race. Durr can potentially take votes from Spadea.
Trump also repeated his admiration for Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), a former Democrat who switched parties at the end of his first year in Congress after refusing to vote to impeach him.
“Jeff is a fantastic congressman respected by everybody and went to South Jersey and won against a Kennedy. They ran a Kennedy against him. They did everything they can, and he’s a winner,” Trump said. “And he’s in charge of our New Jersey campaign.”