Trump Endorsement Of Me In NJ Gov's Race Is Fake, Singh Says

NEW JERSEY — A letter that shows former President Donald Trump endorses Hirsch Singh in Tuesday's Republican primary for governor is fake, both Singh himself and Jason Miller, a spokesman and advisor for Trump, said.

Trump has not endorsed any Republican candidate in the New Jersey governor's race, said Miller on Monday. Both Singh and pastor Phil Rizzo have portrayed themselves as being the true Trump conservatives compared to Jack Ciatarelli, who is the front-runner and is more politically moderate.

"This posting is FAKE. President Trump has NOT endorsed in the race for Governor in New Jersey," Miller tweeted on his personal Twitter account at about mid-day Monday.

Singh then re-tweeted Miller Monday, disavowing the letter and saying it was never distributed by his official campaign.

"As I said on NJ radio this morning, this press release is a photoshopped image circulated by activists from opposing campaigns on Facebook. Myself and my campaign have NOTHING to do with this," tweeted Singh Monday. "This is a complete distraction meant to damage our campaign."

The letter was never officially released by the Singh campaign, but it has been widely circulating on Facebook and Twitter.

Dated Friday, June 4, it is depicted as "a statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th president of the United States of America,"

"I endorse New Jersey MAGA conservative Hirsch Singh in Tuesday's New Jersey gubernatorial primary election over NEVER TRUMPER Jack Ciatarelli," read the letter. "Jack is a RINO. We don't support RINO's (sic) and I do not endorse a career politician who said I am unfit to be president of the Untied (sic) States. Jack said I am an embarrassment to the United States of America. He will be the one who is embarrassed on Tuesday!"

Patch reported that Ciattarelli said the following about Trump in December 2015, when Trump emerged as the Republican front-runner in the 2016 presidential election.

"Sitting silently and allowing him to embarrass our country is unacceptable. He is not fit to be President of the United States," said Ciattarelli. He was still a Republican assemblyman at the time and represented the area of Flemington, Hillsborough, most of Somerset County, Princeton and South Brunswick.

"Mr. Trump preys upon our worst instincts and fears. On important issues, he is a charlatan who is out of step with American values. He is a celebrity in his own political reality TV show. He is a Republican who is out of step with the Party of Lincoln," said Ciattarelli at the time.

Singh has run many times for public office in New Jersey: He ran for governor in 2017, ran for Congress in 2018 and ran for the U.S. Senate in 2020. He is a businessman with a background in engineering who runs his family's security firm. Born in Atlantic City, Singh lives in Linwood and graduated from NJIT. He is trying to paint himself as the more pro-Trump Republican and Ciattarelli as too moderate.

Other candidates running in the 2021 gubernatorial race include Brian D. Levine, a former Somerset freeholder and Franklin Township mayor, as well as North Bergen-based pastor and real estate developer Rizzo.

New Jersey registered Republican voters will be asked to make their choice Tuesday at the polls. Whoever wins the primary will challenge Gov. Phil Murphy, who is running for re-election, in November.

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