BEDMINSTER, NJ – Jack Ciattarelli, the leading Republican candidate for New Jersey governor in the 2025 race, has long navigated a complicated relationship with President Donald Trump.
Last week’s dinner with Trump at the President’s Bedminster golf club has reignited questions about whether the two have reconciled past tensions—or if Ciattarelli’s earlier condemnations still linger beneath the surface.
We all know the President has excellent long-term memory, but he’s also a person who can forgive and make deals.
Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman who lost to Governor Phil Murphy in 2021, has a documented history of sharp criticism toward Trump. In 2015, he famously labeled the then-presidential candidate a “charlatan” unfit for office, a stance that aligned with his image as a moderate Republican in a state wary of Trump’s brash style.
During his 2021 gubernatorial campaign, Ciattarelli doubled down on his independence, reportedly refusing Trump’s endorsement with the assertion, “I don’t need others campaigning for me.”
The comment underscored his effort to distance himself from the polarizing figure in a blue-leaning state where Trump lost by double digits in 2020.
Yet, the political landscape has shifted. Trump’s strong showing in New Jersey during the 2024 presidential election—narrowing the margin to just six points—has emboldened state Republicans, making the former president a pivotal figure in the upcoming June 10, 2025, GOP primary.
Ciattarelli, now in his third bid for governor, appears to be recalibrating his approach. His March 21 dinner with Trump at Trump National Golf Club, widely publicized with photos of the two shaking hands and smiling, suggests a potential thaw in their once-frosty dynamic.
The meeting, which Ciattarelli described on social media as a “great honor and pleasure,” has sparked speculation about whether it signals a resolution to their past discord. Political observers note that Ciattarelli’s attendance—alongside high-profile figures like Elon Musk—could be a strategic move to court Trump’s still-loyal base, which holds significant sway in the GOP primary.
A recent poll from the pro-Ciattarelli super PAC Kitchen Table Conservatives found that 65% of New Jersey Republican primary voters would be more likely to support a candidate endorsed by Trump, who enjoys a 90% favorability rating among the state’s GOP faithful.
However, Ciattarelli’s critics question the sincerity of this apparent détente.
His 2021 campaign was marked by efforts to sidestep Trump’s influence, even as Democrats tied him to a “Stop the Steal” rally he attended in 2020—an event he later claimed he didn’t fully understand at the time. That history, coupled with his earlier “charlatan” remark and rejection of Trump’s help, has left some wondering if the Bedminster dinner was more about political expediency than genuine reconciliation.
Neither Ciattarelli’s campaign nor Trump’s team has offered detailed insight into the substance of their discussion. Ciattarelli has framed the encounter as a constructive dialogue, telling Fox & Friends on March 27 that he thanked Trump for “making America safe again” and expressed optimism about leveraging Trump’s 2024 momentum for GOP gains in 2025. Yet, he avoided directly addressing whether his past criticisms—calling Trump unfit or dismissing his endorsement—were topics of conversation.
For Ciattarelli’s primary rival, Bill Spadea, the dinner has been a point of attack.
Spadea, a former radio host who has positioned himself as the unabashedly pro-Trump candidate, took to X on March 22 to dismiss the meeting as “a begging session and a photo op,” implying Ciattarelli’s outreach was a desperate bid for favor rather than a sign of mutual respect.
Spadea’s camp has also resurfaced old clips of Ciattarelli’s anti-Trump rhetoric to cast doubt on his loyalty to the MAGA movement.
Political analysts remain divided on whether the Bedminster dinner resolves Ciattarelli’s Trump problem—or merely papers over it. “Jack’s in a tight spot,” said one New Jersey GOP insider who requested anonymity. “He’s got the name recognition and the moderate appeal to win a general election, but he needs the primary first. That means playing nice with Trump, even if it’s just for show.”
Others argue that Trump, known for holding grudges, might not so easily forget Ciattarelli’s past slights—particularly the 2021 snub of his endorsement, which Trump later suggested cost Ciattarelli the governorship.