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New Jersey’s GOP governor nominee, Jack Ciattarelli, on Wednesday broke with the Trump administration on two topics during the final gubernatorial debate before Election Day.
Ciattarelli said he disagrees with the president’s decision to support the completion of an almost-finished offshore wind farm project in the area surrounding the Garden State and criticized the leader’s recent statements linking pregnancy and use of Tylenol to autism in early childhood.
“I’m not real happy about the Empire wind farm off of Long Island. I hope that doesn’t lead to wind farms being approved off of New Jersey,” the former New Jersey state representative told The Hill in remarks made after Wednesday’s debate.
“They do need, not only state approval, but federal approval, as well. I’m very thankful he’s put a temporary halt on the wind farms off the Jersey Shore,” he added.
In May, the Trump administration lifted a stop-work order on the wind farm off the coast of Long Island after previously suggesting the Biden administration failed to properly review the project details.
Empire Wind is set to deliver power to 500,000 homes in New York and 810 megawatts of power into Brooklyn, according to the project’s website. The site is set on 80,000 acres with up to 130 or more wind turbines, according to the company.
Ciattarelli’s decision to break with the administration on its decision to proceed with finishing the wind farm was a rare rebuke for the gubernatorial candidate, who told listeners on Wednesday that he’d give the president an “A” rating for his first eight months in office.
“I think he’s right about everything that he’s doing,” the GOP nominee said.
“He’s secured the border, and the economy, inflation is much lower than it was when Joe Biden was in the White House,” he added.
However, his Democratic opponent, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (N.J.), fired back at the comments and hammered him for his past career in pharmaceuticals during the intense debate.
Sherrill said Ciattarelli has “shown zero signs of standing up to this president.”
But Ciattarelli noted that “in times of need, it’s best to have a relationship with whoever occupies the White House, and I will.”
While he defended his relationship with the president during the televised discussion, he noted that the president’s recent comments about Tylenol raised concerns.
Ciattarelli told The Hill “when we’re talking about things about the impact of acetaminophen on people… we need to make sure that we’ve got medical science to prove those kinds of claims.”
Last month, Trump told pregnant mothers that taking Tylenol, which contains acetaminophen, “is not good” and urged women who are expecting to “tough it out” rather than take the medicine.
The Trump administration also said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would begin updating the label on acetaminophen and notifying physicians that Tylenol “can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.”
Global health authorities and world leaders have rejected the claim and said pregnant mothers could endanger the health of their child by not taking Tylenol.
Ciattarelli’s statements calling out the president for making unproven allegations have been echoed by GOP lawmakers.
The Republican gubernatorial nominee has been endorsed by Trump. He trails Sherrill with voters, according to recent polling.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated the race as leaning Democratic.