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New Jersey governor has flipping fun with April Fools’ Day joke

By Jay Croft, CNN

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy pointedly played a practical joke Friday with a fake April Fools’ Day proclamation of a new state bird: the Middle Finger.

Murphy wrote a mock executive order, complete with multiple fancy-pants uses of “whereas,” that stated, “It is important for State symbols to reflect New Jersey’s culture and values” and “New Jersey drivers are famous for their skills, enthusiasm, and expressive hand gestures.”

He then, in official-sounding legalese, declared: “The State Bird is hereby changed from the American Goldfinch to the Middle Finger.”

Should any genteel New Jerseyans be offended by the possibility, Murphy made sure to end his “executive order” with the message, “HAPPY APRIL FOOLS!”

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CNN’s Kiely Westhoff contributed to this report.

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