'A Brighter Future': Gov. Murphy Celebrates Biden Inauguration

NEW JERSEY — Gov. Phil Murphy was one of the recipients of the 1,000 invitations to the historic inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Vice President Kamala Harris, and he wasted little time sharing his thoughts on the day.

"The light at the end of the long tunnel is now about to shine more brightly for all of us," Murphy said in a statement. "Four years ago, we all watched as Donald Trump took office, and he immediately began the most divisive and dishonest administration we have ever seen. That day began with a disturbing speech that talked about 'American carnage' and ended with embarrassing lies about crowd size."

Murphy said the tone of that administration was set from the start, but that was not all that happened that day.

"A spark was lit, and we collectively decided that we were going to stand together and right this wrong. What followed was a surge of activism that our country had not seen in decades," Murphy said. "From millions taking to the streets for the Women’s March, to standing up for immigrants at the airport protests, to the peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrations this year, we saw a sustained surge of participation in our democracy that has reshaped our country."

Murphy said that energy carried him through a victorious campaign for governor in 2017, continued with the midterm elections with Democrats taking the House of Representatives and led into 2020 when the nation elected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

"I could not be more excited to work with the Biden Administration on crucial priorities where we desperately need leadership at the federal level — from ramping up vaccine production; to finally forming a national COVID-19 strategy and providing direct relief to people in need; to taking action on climate change, raising the minimum wage, lowering the cost of health care, investing in our infrastructure, and so many other important issues," Murphy said. "This country has been starved for leadership at the top for four long years, and that ends today."

Murphy noted that the celebration won’t be the kind of inauguration that seen in the past, but it’s still a day that to celebrate.

"Remember that our work is not done yet — we have to stay in the fight and make sure that New Jersey keeps moving forward in partnership with the new Biden-Harris Administration," he said.

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