Jack Ciattarelli called harmful tariffs a “grand experiment”

Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican running for governor of New Jersey, embraced President Donald Trump’s tariff plan that is now having a disastrous effect on local businesses.

Ciattarelli said in a March 4 radio interview that Trump’s tariffs were a “grand experiment” in “righting things” and suggested they could fulfill the president’s promise to hold foreign trading partners accountable.

“The president has told us that there’s going to be some pain, but he’s also told us that we’re not going to be pushed around … [and] not going to be exploited by foreign countries that don’t follow the rules and take advantage of our consumer markets,” Ciattarelli said. “We’re just going to buckle up and see how things go.”

Less than a month later, the Associated Press reported that Fishtown, a seafood supplier in Haddonfield, was struggling as Trump’s threats to tariff Canadian goods created uncertainty about oyster prices.

“I’m a smaller business, and I’m not really staffed, equipped, and knowledgeable enough to

know how to navigate tariffs,” said Fishtown owner Bryan Szeliga. “It is very hard to have that level of uncertainty. Are the tariffs going to be in play, or are they not?”

Szeliga said he was considering offering lower-quality oysters to avoid further complications. In one instance, he paid the tariff on Canadian oysters himself to avoid passing the cost on to his customers.

Other New Jersey businesses, however, do expect to raise prices because of tariffs.

A car dealership in Mendham said Trump’s tariffs on cars and automobile parts would lead to a $10,000 to $20,000 price hike on much of its inventory. Multiple liquor stores are also expecting to raise prices with new tariffs on European wines and are scrambling to stock up before the increased costs take effect.

“We don’t know what to expect, except we are doing everything we can to bring in enough wine to make sure at least in the short term we’re protected,” David Moore, co-founder of Moore Brothers Wine Company in Pennsauken, told WPVI News.

Ciattarelli’s campaign website lists “making New Jersey affordable” as his top priority. He has also made several social media posts touting his support for small businesses.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” Ciattarelli wrote on April 26. “They create jobs, bring people together, and give our neighborhoods their unique character.”

The risk of trading partners imposing retaliatory tariffs could hurt New Jersey businesses as well. China and Mexico are among the top countries New Jersey exports to. China has imposed a 125% tariff on American goods in response to the 145% tariff Trump imposed on them.

A Ciattarelli campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.