Murphy will sign executive order on equal pay for women

But Christie exits with the lowest approval ratings of any governor in state history.

"We will resist any attempt to define who is and who isn't a real American", he said, before later praising the diversity of his Cabinet officials, including the state's first Sikh-American attorney general.

Murphy also took a swipe at Trump for his incendiary remarks about immigrants from "s--hole countries", saying America is "a place where immigrants still come in hope of a better future - and that includes from Haiti and from the continent of Africa".

Democrat Phil Murphy wrote, "Today our great state turns a new page".

Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat listen to Phil Murphy on Jan. 16 2018

Some of the issues Murphy mentioned affect the state directly, such as opposing the recent tax reform or federal interest in drilling for oil off the Jersey Shore.

Murphy's wife, Tammy, and their four children joined him on stage as he was sworn in by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner at the grand War Memorial in Trenton.

Minutes later, Murphy - who beat Republican Kim Guadagno, the outgoing lieutenant governor, in November's election to win the job - outlined how he would roll back many of Christie's policy decisions, from defunding women's clinics to backing off climate change efforts. He pledged to legalize marijuana as part of a broader reform of the criminal justice system, called for free community college, and asked the Democratic-controlled Legislature to immediately send him bills that would fund Planned Parenthood, almost double the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and "strengthen our gun laws".

He promises to raise taxes on millionaires and legalize recreational marijuana, allies himself with unions and says he will increase payments into the state pension system and school aid.

The new governor thanked Christie for his public service and highlighted that his battle against the opioid epidemic is "worth applauding and continuing".

Murphy's resolved to tackling decades-old problems and tackling new challenges, despite the state's lackluster financial state and the nationwide fatigue for politics.

Murphy has never held political office and earned his fortune, which he used to help win the Democratic nomination past year, as an executive at Goldman Sachs. Oliver also will head of the state's Community Affairs Department and will become acting governor whenever murphy is out of state. He is to replace Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who was ineligible to run again after two terms due to term limits.

In a 22-minute inaugural address that brimmed with optimism, Murphy echoed his campaign slogan and consistently vowed "a fairer, stronger New Jersey".

The switch from Christie means that New Jersey will go from a governor who is a friend of President Donald Trump to one that opposes him on many fronts. "It was a true privilege".