Jack Ciattarelli Once Called Trump ‘Not Fit to be President,’ Refused to Vote for Him. Now? He’s Just Another #MAGA Republican Hypocrite

WILDWOOD, NJ — While Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli gladhands fellow Trump supporters in Wildwood, he’s probably hoping they don’t remember his past statements attacking Trump as “not fit to be president” and publicly refusing to vote for him in the 2016 election. Ciattarelli’s record on Trump is all over the map, with a staggering level of hypocrisy that should alarm New Jersey residents.

“Jack Ciattarelli’s about face on Donald Trump proves that he’s just another transactional Trenton hypocrite willing to say or do anything to get elected,” said NJDSC Spokesman Phil Swibinski. “Which Ciattarelli are New Jersey voters supposed to believe, the one who said Trump wasn’t fit to be president, or the one happily attending Trump’s rally today in Wildwood? The truth is that Republican insider Jack Ciattarelli can’t be trusted, because he’s only interested in helping himself, not New Jersey families.”

CIATTARELLI ON TRUMP:

2015: Before Donald Trump Was Elected To The White House, Jack Ciattarelli Called Him A “Charlatan” Embarrassing The Nation.

“A Republican assemblyman from Somerset County on Thursday condemned his party’s front-runner in the presidential race as a ‘charlatan’ who is ‘out of step with the Party of Lincoln’ and is embarrassing the nation. Jack Ciattarelli … the statement through the Assembly’s Republican office, becoming the first elected official in the state’s party to do so in a public way.” [MyCentralJersey, 12/10/15]

In his December 2015 statement, Ciattarelli said that Trump “preys upon our worst instincts and fears” and “Sitting silently and allowing him to embarrass our country is unacceptable. He is not fit to be President of the United States.” [MyCentralJersey, 12/10/15]:

2016: Ciattarelli Said He Would Not Vote For Trump In 2016 — Or Anyone At All In The Presidential Race — And Called On Trump To Abandon His Campaign. [NJ.com, 10/9/16]

“Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno is breaking with Gov. Chris Christie and says she will not vote for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and hasn’t decided if she’ll vote for a third party candidate or forgo casting a vote for president and only vote in the down-ballot races. So, too, is the only declared 2017 GOP governor candidate, state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-Somerset), who says he likely won’t vote for president in November, and is calling on Trump to voluntarily step aside.”

2016: Ciattarelli Said He Had Planned To Vote For Trump — But Then Came The Access Hollywood Tape. [Star-Ledger, 10/16/16]

Ciattarelli told Star-Ledger columnist Tom Moran: “I intended to vote for Trump for the simple reason it would end gridlock. The revelations from the Access Hollywood tape, however, are a game changer. I will not vote for any presidential candidate.”

 2019: Jack Ciattarelli Has “Abandoned” His Role As Trump Critic Now That He Intends To Run For Governor In 2021.

“Four years ago, the Republican lawmaker from Somerset County didn’t mince words when it came to then presidential candidate Donald Trump. Ciattarelli called Trump a ‘charlatan’ who is out of step with American values and ‘preys upon our worst instincts and fears.’ But now Ciattarelli, who intends on running for governor in 2021, has abandoned his role as a Trump-bashing attack dog. That’s because he finds himself in a political box.” [Courier News, 8/13/19]