'Extorting money': New NJ governor hits out at Trump on first day in office

Gov. Mikie Sherrill speaks during her inauguration at New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on Jan. 20, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)

NEWARK — Gov. Mikie Sherrill took multiple shots at President Donald Trump on Tuesday after she was sworn in as New Jersey’s 57th governor on a stage at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

Sherrill, 54, a Democrat who is just the second woman in history to be chief executive of the Garden State, never mentioned the Republican president by name, but she connected the nation’s fight for independence from a king 250 years ago with opposition to the Trump administration’s actions today.

“This election proved that the people of New Jersey recognize the parallels. That we see a president illegally usurping power, unconstitutionally enacting a tariff regime to make billions for himself and his family, while everyone else sees their costs go higher. Here, we demand people in public service actually serve the public instead of buying themselves planes and cars and extorting money,” she said.

Gov. Sherrill orders credits to offset electricity hikes coming in June

The attacks on Trump drew an enthusiastic response from the 2,000-plus people gathered in the Newark theater.

“I want you to know that I will be fighting for you. And I hope, New Jersey, you’ll remember me when you open your electric bill and it hasn’t gone up by 20 percent. I can promise you, it won’t be because I waste your money on a ballroom at Drumthwacket,” Sherrill said.

Sherrill was sworn in by New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner on Founding Father William Paterson’s copy of the state Constitution, the U.S. Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence, held by her husband, Jason Hedberg.

Sherrill defeated Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli in November by 14 points, and the election was largely seen as a referendum on the second Trump administration. She said Tuesday that she wasn’t surprised “in the least” at the results.

“Because I know the people of New Jersey. Yes, we are loud and brash, and sometimes we tan like it’s 1980, our Giants, our Jets, and Eagles don’t even claim our state as home despite our rabid devotion. There are an inordinate number of young men wearing chains here, including my two sons,” she said.

She succeeds former Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who was barred from seeking a third term last year. Murphy joined former governors Chris Christie, Jon Corzine, Jim McGreevey, Christine Todd Whitman, and Thomas Kean Sr. in attendance. Other lawmakers on the stage included most of the state’s congressional delegation, state legislative leadership, and Sherrill’s former D.C. roommate, new Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell was also sworn in Tuesday on his family’s Bible, held by his daughter, Ashley.

“Today is a reminder of what progress looks like. It is a reminder of what resilience, hope, and courage can achieve,” Caldwell said. “And it is a reminder that our work of fulfilling the promise to we the people is never finished.”

Sherrill used her inaugural speech to sign two executive orders, including one that expands a credit program Murphy unveiled last year intended to offset electric rate hikes. Freezing rates was a key plank of Sherrill’s campaign for governor.

A former Navy helicopter pilot, Sherrill most recently represented the 11th Congressional District, which includes parts of Essex, Passaic, and Morris counties. She was also previously a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey.

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