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Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy faced backlash and mockery for taking a trip to Europe as a powerful nor’easter barreled toward the Garden State, sparking an emergency declaration, and as the gubernatorial election looms.
Murphy traveled overseas to Europe Oct. 9 for a wedding and returned to his duties Tuesday, according to his office, with Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way serving as acting governor in his absence. Way declared a state of emergency Saturday as a nor’easter was set to batter the coastal state, and as the gubernatorial campaign cycle hits a fever pitch before Nov. 4.
“Starting on Sunday, a dangerous coastal storm will begin to move past our state with extreme weather conditions for several counties, especially those on the Shore,” the acting governor said in an emailed statement to the media Saturday. “In preparation for this storm, I am issuing a State of Emergency for all 21 counties out of an abundance of caution, authorizing our state’s emergency services personnel to activate as necessary.
The New York Post reported over the weekend that the former Goldman Sachs executive was MIA as the state braced for the storm, reporting his office said the first couple of the Garden State were in Europe for a wedding.
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“Governor Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy are out of state this weekend to attend a close family friend’s wedding in Europe. The Governor has been in close communication with his team and emergency response officials regarding the nor’easter storm impacting the East Coast,” a Murphy spokesman told the outlet Sunday.
Murphy’s official X account continued posting messages as usual, including celebrating Indigenous People’s Day — which Democrats and liberals often celebrate instead of Columbus Day — igniting condemnation in the reply section as social media users demanded answers as to why he was not home during a state of emergency.
“You type this from Italy?” one user responded.
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“Are you honoring them while in NJ? You seem to disappear a lot,” one commenter said.
“Columbus Day! And are you doing this tweet from Europe?” another person wrote.
Murphy cannot run for re-election as he is term-limited. The 2025 gubernatorial election pits Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill against Trump-backed Republican Jack Ciattarelli in an election that is heating up as the candidates rally last-minute voter registration by the Tuesday evening deadline.
New Jersey voted to elect former Vice President Kamala Harris as president nearly a year ago in the presidential election. Trump, however, made inroads with Garden State voters, flipping five counties red, improving his 16-point loss in the state during the 2020 election to a six-point loss in 2024, which has teed up a nail-biter gubernatorial election a year later.
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During another overseas trip in 2023, Murphy’s lieutenant governor died in office while serving as acting governor in his absence. Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver suddenly died at the age of 71 on Aug. 1, 2023, when Murphy was vacationing in Italy and forced to make an early trip home.
He also came under fire in 2021 when he made an eight-day trip to Costa Rica for Christmas when coronavirus cases flared in the Garden State. The governor also was abroad just in April when he took part in a state-funded trip to the Middle East as wildfires raged at home.
Murphy’s office reported the governor was back at work as of Tuesday, with his schedule detailing he would attend a local media event at 8 p.m. called “Ask Governor Murphy.”
Murphy’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment Tuesday.
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