How New Jersey’s Governor Figured Out Trump
Updated at 10:30 a.m. ET on May 4, 2020.
Phil Murphy’s cellphone rang and rang. He ignored the first two calls. Then an aide told the New Jersey governor that the caller had tried to reach him through his family. It was President Donald Trump. Murphy had to take it.
The coronavirus pandemic has turned many of America’s governors into national figures. Andrew Cuomo’s daily group-therapy sessions have become must-watch TV. Gavin Newsom’s performance has persuaded even East Coast media to pay attention to California. Florida’s Ron DeSantis took a hands-off approach in the first weeks of the outbreak, and has since struggled to show that he has the situation in his state under control. Gretchen Whitmer’s handling of Michigan’s crisis has prompted talk that she could become Joe Biden’s running mate. Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, has led an effective, depoliticized response that’s won praise from members of both parties.
Then there’s Murphy. New Jersey has the second-highest COVID-19 death toll in the United States, and , the virus has killed more people from the state than were lost in World War I, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, both Gulf Wars, the But despite being a liberal Democrat who has for years railed against Trump, Murphy has kept both a lower profile and a better relationship with the White House than his neighbor in Albany has.
