Trump is making N.J. business great again, some say. They just don’t want to talk about it.

The last time Taliercio’s Ultimate Gourmet Deli was linked to President Donald Trump, mayhem ensued.

It was Election Day 2024. The Italian deli offered anyone with an “I Voted” sticker a free shirt: their choice of a red “Make Antipasta Great Again” shirt or a blue one that said, “It’s better that way.‘’

But some didn’t find the offer charming.

A Facebook group put Taliercio’s, of Middletown, on a list of alleged MAGA-loving businesses. It was targeted for boycott.

“I guess it was assumed that we were a Trump business because of the sandwiches we name,” owner Eric Taliercio said. “But it was never taken into consideration that we also have Democratic or liberal-named sandwiches.”

“We don’t get involved in naming sandwiches anymore,” he said, though you can still find some named after characters from “The Godfather” and “The Sopranos,” or for sports figures. “When it comes to politics now, we’re almost, like, afraid to say anything on either side.”

Indeed. Coaxing state business leaders to open up about Trump’s policies is like begging a candidate to give a straight answer during a political debate — even though historically blue New Jersey moved closer to purple in the last election. NJ Advance Media reached out to more than three dozen right-leaning mom-and-pop shops, 20 consulting firms and business advocacy groups and half a dozen of the state’s Fortune 500 companies, and few wanted to speak publicly about the new administration’s business policies.

“There will never be a taker in my group,” one industry official said.

“It’s a tough sell,” said another.

It’s no wonder. Attacks on businesses and institutions have poured down from both the right and the left with ferocity in recent months and years. Last month, for example, Target, Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy and others were boycotted in response to corporate decisions to back away from diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs, while others fear keeping their programs will make them a target.

Last week, Ben & Jerry’s — the ice cream company known for its social activism — said its parent company, Englewood Cliffs-based Unilever, sacked its CEO over his very public and progressive social media posts and public statements. The move was “in line” with Unilever’s acquisition agreement of the ice cream company, a Unilever spokesperson said. But in a previous court filing, Unilever accused Ben & Jerry’s of working to “advocate for one-sided, highly controversial, and polarizing topics that put Unilever, B&J’s, and their employees at risk.” Ben & Jerry’s didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Saying too little or too much about Trump’s policies — or saying something left to interpretation — could ram home expensive consequences.

“Of course politics in New Jersey is affecting the way businesses will or won’t talk about Trump policies,” said Ben Dworkin, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship at Rowan University, calling politics around the president “extremely dangerous” for anyone selling to the public.

“Even rumors are quickly accepted and hits to your reputation matter,” Dworkin said.

It’s a lesson Taliercio learned on Election Day.

“If you vocally say you’re a blue side or a red side, you’re cutting out 50% of your business,” he said, noting that some customers have a visceral reaction. “It’s a shame.”

About 40 minutes west in Monroe Township, Bella Italia Pork Store proudly displays Trump and MAGA-supporting decor.

During a recent visit, a large-screen television was tuned to Newsmax, sound on, just above a customer eating area. A red “47” sign was behind the butcher counter alongside hats reading “Trump 2024,” “USA,” and “Make America Braciole Again,” a play on MAGA from a fundraiser for a local child with muscular dystrophy. The shop made the braciole for the party, owner Frank Sgroi said.

Despite the show of support for Trump, Sgroi, one of the few willing to talk policy, said he tries not to get “too political.”

“It’s good to have someone back (as president) who has a business aspect, like DOGE and (what) Elon Musk is doing,” he said. “We as a business cut out the fat. I like that approach to government.”

Despite the public uproar over some controversial policies and pressures to keep a low profile, a number of business leaders said they support Trump’s decisions. Those who were willing to talk shared thoughtful opinions about immigration, diversity programs and deregulation, and what the coming transformations mean to their businesses.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION (DEI)

Trump’s policy to purge anything that relates to diversity, equity and inclusion from the federal government — even removing baseball great Jackie Robinson’s World War II military service from the Department of Defense’s website but later restoring it — provokes powerful reactions from critics and supporters alike.

Threats over cutting funding or limiting access to lucrative government contracts seem to be having an impact.

New Brunswick-based Johnson & Johnson is among those backing away from DEI policies, even changing language in its public filings. A New York Times analysis of annual financial filings found “the number of companies in the S&P 500 that used the language `diversity, equity and inclusion’ in these filings has fallen by nearly 60 percent from 2024.”

Johnson & Johnson removed the words “diversity, equity and inclusion” in favor of “inclusion and belonging” when describing the company’s culture.

The company did not respond to requests for comment, but it told the Times it “has always been and will continue to be compliant with all applicable legal requirements and remains dedicated to the values in our credo.”

Other Fortune 500 companies based in New Jersey, including Prudential, Merck, Quest Diagnostics, ADP and PBF Energy, also declined to comment.

But some who run companies in the Garden State say they’re happy to see DEI initiatives go.

“I’ve always had more women working for me than men — it just happened that way. If they could do the job, I never cared if they were white, black or blue,” said a 25-year business owner in the financial services industry who asked to remain anonymous.

DEI policies slowed down his ability to hire the son of an employee as an intern, he said.

“He’s in college and in finance and I wanted to give him an internship but I didn’t offer the internship to a diverse group of people, and then I had a problem,” he said. “I had to go through a process where I had to do a boatload of work just to check a box, but at the end of the day, I was always going to hire the same person because they were right for the job.”

IMMIGRATION

How changes to immigration policy play out will mean a lot in New Jersey, business leaders said.

“Whether it’s folks here on visas doing R&D in some of our pharmaceutical companies in New Jersey or the folks here on visas who are working at the Shore, staffing the Kohr’s ice cream at the boardwalk, immigration is important,” Christopher Emigholz, chief government affairs officer for the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, said earlier this month during an online seminar about the first months of the Trump administration.

There needs to be a balance between policies that affect the workforce and keeping the country safe from illegal drugs, he said.

“We hope that balance protects the H-1B visas that are needed in this country,” he said. “There continues to be uncertainty in New Jersey about exactly what’s going to happen. We’ve seen some headlines on some ICE raids... Is there a chilling effect that happens when you see crackdowns on other legal immigration that’s important to our economy? I don’t know and that’s uncertain.”

The distinction between legal and illegal immigration is a common theme among business people.

“I’m perfectly fine with legal immigration and Elon Musk is a legal immigrant. My grandfather came in through the system legally,” said Stephen Craffen, a 30-year business owner in the financial services industry in Bergen County. “Trump gets a bad rap because people think he’s against immigration. He’s not. He’s against illegal immigration.”

Sgroi, the pork store owner, ticked off a list of his immigrant employees: two Guatemalans, one here for 25 years and the other for 10, both on visas, one from Mexico who is on his way to citizenship and one from Italy who is now a citizen.

“If they’re willing to work, they are hardworking people, they pay their taxes…” he said.

His father Giovanni Sgroi “has the best story,” Sgroi said. He came to the United States on a visa 58 years ago, opened an Italian deli in Brooklyn and in 2000, he opened Bella Italia. Now at age 79, you can still find him behind the deli counter.

“He came here with $20 in his pocket and made a successful business,” Sgroi said.

CUTTING RED TAPE

Shortly after the inauguration, Trump signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to repeal 10 existing rules before creating a new one.

Business leaders argue that kind of deregulation is necessary for business to thrive.

Reducing energy costs as Trump has promised will help the economy, said Craffen, the financial planner, who called some existing Environmental Protection Agency rules “punitive.”

“I’m fine with regulation, but overregulation? You have too many bureaucrats that have become unhinged,” he said. “The EPA has gotten out of control. Reigning in that? I’m for that.”

Telecom deregulation was the most important issue to a former senior executive at Verizon.

“When I look at D.C., I try to remain focused, ignoring the clamor and instead looking at what’s best for my customers, employees, company and ultimately the industry.”

That’s why deregulation is a change he wants to see for the wired telecom industry.

“If you look at the significant advances in the wireless world, they’ve happened with minimal regulation. This has not been the case with traditional telecom services,” the former executive said. “The FCC’s new chairman, Brendan Carr, and his team are rocking a regulatory boat that’s been floating in the same spot for far too long. They are using a fresh set of eyes to figure out what’s best for the public, what’s best for the consumer.”

“I think now is an opportune time for the industry to put older technologies aside and figure out how to leverage the latest innovations to move things forward with respect to work, education, healthcare — the whole ecosystem,” he said.

Sgroi, the deli owner, had a more focused wish for the future.

“I want plastic bags back. I want my governor to give me plastic bags back,” he said.

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NJ Advance Media staff writers Christopher Burch, Brent Johnson, AJ McDougall and Keith Sargeant contributed to this report.

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Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on X at @KPMueller.