Squawk Box’s Joe Kernen Obliterates Phil Murphy: Far-Left Governor Left Stammering as He Scrambles to Defend Kamala’s Radical Policies — Can’t Handle the Heat on DOJ Weaponization and Biden’s ‘Garbage’ Comment

Phil Murphy faced tough grilling by CNBC’s Joe Kernen (Credit: CNBC/X)

Phil Murphy thought he was just another guest on CNBC’s Squawk Box, but seasoned host Joe Kernen had other plans, grilling the far-left governor on his unwavering loyalty to the Biden-Harris regime’s radical policy positions.

Murphy’s attempt to dance around tough questions left him visibly stammering, dodging, and floundering.

Kernen came out of the gate with a rapid-fire checklist of Harris’s radical proposals: ending the filibuster, abolishing private insurance, decriminalizing illegal crossings, gun buybacks, and taxpayer-funded gender surgeries for inmates.

Yet, rather than respond with a clear position, Murphy deflected, accusing Kernen of sounding “like you’re on the Trump campaign for crying out loud.”

Undeterred, Kernen pressed Murphy on each specific issue, exposing the governor’s evasions with each follow-up.

Joe Kernen: So, Governor, if we went down a checklist, you like all the things that… You like Kamala Harris, not just against. So, let me ask you, do you believe we should abolish the filibuster? How about getting rid of private insurance? How about taxing unrealized gains? How about nationalizing energy? How about mandatory gun buybacks like Australia? How about decriminalizing illegal crossings, ending cash bail, child gender reassignment surgery being paid for in prison? Raising the corporate tax rate? What are your favorite proposals from Kamala Harris that make you like her so much?

Phil Murphy: Joe, for a Jersey guy, you sound like you’re on the Trump campaign for crying out loud. Come on, man… you’re cherry-picking stuff.

Joe Kernen: Which of those do you like? Which of those are you in favor of? Are you in favor of ending the filibuster? We’ll go one by one.

Phil Murphy: I’m not sure on the filibuster, honestly, but I think getting a fair tax rate…

Joe Kernen: You’re not going to talk about any specifics… What’s that?

As the discussion turned to taxes, Kernen, a New Jersey resident himself, wasn’t about to let Murphy off the hook. Murphy, who has long championed “tax fairness,” dodged specifics when asked what he considered a “fair” tax rate and accused Kernen again of sounding “like [he’s] on the Trump campaign.”

Phil Murphy: I said I think fair tax policy is sensible.

Joe Kernen: What does that mean, fair?

Phil Murphy: Fair means you pay what you should pay.

Joe Kernen: Well, you know I live in your state, Governor. Do you think if I pay 55% total, is that fair, or do I need to pay 80%? What would be fair for you? Because I live in your state.

Phil Murphy: Joe, I said that up front. Believe me, I know you do. But you sound like you’re on the Trump campaign.

Joe Kernen: Well, is that fair?

Phil Murphy: I don’t know what the right number is.

[…]

Phil Murphy: We passed a millionaire’s tax five years ago. Everybody, Joe, including you, said it would drive people out of New Jersey. We have more millionaires today than we’ve ever had in our history. So tax fairness isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Joe Kernen: We have a very progressive tax system. Do you think we have a progressive tax system in the United States? Do you think it’s not progressive enough, or are you talking about billionaires? Because you know how much the 1% does pay the lion’s share of federal taxes. So what does fair mean?

Phil Murphy: I’m open-minded. I’ve obviously voted with my feet. We have a millionaire’s tax in New Jersey.

Joe Kernen: Would you tax unrealized gains?

Phil Murphy: We’re not a low-cost state to live in, but we give you an enormous amount back for what you pay.

Joe Kernen: Are you in favor of taxing unrealized gains?

Phil Murphy: We’re the number one state in America to raise a family… No, I’m not wild about unrealized gains, but I’m open-minded.

Joe Kernen: What are you wild about? Not Trump?

The showdown hit a boiling point when Kernen pointed out the elephant in the room—the weaponization of the DOJ under the current administration and Biden’s own hateful rhetoric.

Murphy couldn’t handle the heat. When asked if he believed Harris, Biden, and their allies were using the DOJ to crush political dissent, Murphy responded with denial, “Joe, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

When Murphy attempted to push the narrative of Puerto Rico as “a floating pile of garbage,” Kernen quickly reminded him of Biden’s recent remark, where he labeled Trump supporters as “garbage.”

In a last-ditch effort to deflect, Murphy admitted that Biden’s comment was “about the people in Madison Square Garden,” proving Kernen’s argument. “So they were garbage. Okay,” Kernen responded.

Phil Murphy: Here’s what I’m wild about. I’m wild about a democracy that works. I’m wild about the rich history of our country continuing for the future. I’m wild about opponents having a voice and having a seat at the table, as opposed to being thrown in jail or hunted down by our military. That’s what I’m wild about.

Joe Kernen: But we might throw Trump in jail. The Justice Department was not weaponized under Trump; it’s been weaponized under the current administration, right?

Phil Murphy: Joe, come on. You’ve got to be kidding me.

Joe Kernen: Okay. I don’t know. I haven’t seen Trump throw anyone in jail, but I have seen a lot of lawfare against Trump.

Phil Murphy: You’ve got to be kidding me… There’s no rational viewer right now watching this discussion that thinks Harris is the authoritarian threat versus Trump. There’s no one who’s reasonable who comes to that conclusion. How could you?

Joe Kernen: You just look around. You want me to go over the five cases that we’re talking about… Alvin Bragg? Those were all misdemeanors, trumped up to felonies after the statute of limitations. You don’t think that’s lawfare?

Phil Murphy: Alvin Bragg doesn’t work for Kamala Harris. You and I both know that.

Joe Kernen: Okay, I’m talking about if either candidate is in danger of using the Justice Department to punish enemies; what we’ve seen recently is not from Trump. Is there some reason you think that’s going to happen with him? Is it his rhetoric?

Phil Murphy: Joe, I’m having a hard time believing we’re having this conversation. Are you kidding me? Did you see what happened on Sunday in Madison Square Garden? Have you followed what he said about what he’s going to do against his enemies?

Joe Kernen: Did you see what Joe Biden said last night, that all the Trump supporters are garbage? And that wasn’t a joke. That was the sitting President of the United States. And that wasn’t some comedian that no one knew what he was going to say. That was Biden himself. Did you see that? Trump supporters were garbage?

Phil Murphy: I saw it, and he said specifically it was about the people who were in Madison Square Garden, and you and I both know that’s what he said.

Joe Kernen: So they were garbage. Okay.