'Putin-esque type of corruption': Chris Christie slams Trump for alleged self-enrichment

Former Republican Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, on Sunday, was unsparing in his criticism of President Donald Trump profiting from his presidency. In a scathing commentary on ABC News, Christie compared Trump's "corruption" to that of Russia's President Vladimir Putin after financial disclosures revealed that the U.S. President made $1.4 billion from his family's cryptocurrency ventures last year. Christie's comments come as House Democrats, too, accused Trump of hijacking the Freedom 250 festivities to push his pet projects.

Speaking on ABC's 'This Week', Christie accused Trump of engaging in "Putin-esque type of corruption and self-enrichment," as reports of him making billions since taking office emerged. "He and his family believe they are entitled to this. This is an entitlement to them," Christie claimed. He further alleged that the Trump family believed that since they won the second term, it gave them the "license" to grift. He added that, looking at the scale of self-enrichment, to him, it was clear that Trump learned from Putin during his first term. "This is a Putin-esque type of corruption and self-enrichment," he said.

Continuing further, Christie explained that there was a difference between the two leaders, but the mannerisms were the same, while referring to the new Air Force One jet and his renovation projects. "Oh, the plane is a gift. It won't cost us anything. Well, no, it costs us hundreds of millions of dollars to get it up to Air Force One level of operation. Every time he says one of those things, the ballroom won't cost anybody anything. Now we're talking about them wanting to move a billion dollars to work on the ballroom," he said. "The American people are starting to catch up to this. You can feel it."

Christie's scorching comments came after Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee published a 55-page report accusing the Freedom 250 group of aiding Trump in turning America's milestone into a "hotbed of corruption and self-enrichment" through tactics that could amount to criminal fraud. Titled "From Vanity to Insanity: How the White House Cheated the American People out of their 250th Birthday," the interim report outlines a string of allegations of corruption, wire fraud, pay-to-play schemes, and more orchestrated through a shadow corporation within the National Park Foundation. While the report was produced by the Democratic staff, the committee has yet to adopt it officially. 

Trump's profiteering isn't new, as financial disclosures earlier this month revealed Trump and his family made over $2.2 billion in 2025, or nearly four times as much as the $622 million in revenue his companies reported in 2024, as per Vox. The total includes $1.4 billion coming from two Trump family cryptocurrency projects, including World Liberty Financial, which is 49% owned by the royal family of the United Arab Emirates, a stake that was purchased days before Trump's 2025 inauguration. The company has been marred by controversy as reports claim Trump granted the UAE access to advanced AI chips shortly after the deal.