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Former New Jersey governor and 2024 hopeful Chris Christie has described Donald Trump as the "cheapest person I've ever met in my life" amid allegations the former president is using campaign donations to cover his legal fees.
Appearing on CNN Primetime, Christie discussed the claims that the "self-professed billionaire" has been diverting donations away from his 2024 PAC into his Save America PAC, which Trump previously used to pay legal costs.
At least $1.5 million may have been diverted into the Save America PAC so far in 2023, according to The New York Times. The reports arrived as Trump has pleaded not guilty to dozens of charges in both the falsifying business records case in New York, as well as Special Counsel Jack Smith's classified documents investigation in recent months.
"Just remember something, he's a billionaire. Self-professed billionaire," Christie told Primetime host Kaitlan Collins. "Why can't he use his own money to pay his personal legal fees, and not use money coming from the public?"
When Christie was asked why Trump doesn't use his own money to pay his legal fees, the fellow 2024 GOP primary candidate replied: "Because he's the cheapest person I've ever met in my life. That's why."
"What he's very good at, is spending other people's money," Christie added. "I think those supporters write a check to Trump for President, they think they're paying for campaign expenses, not for personal legal expenses.
"What happened to him, let's say with the documents case had nothing to do with the campaign, at all. It's a personal fault of his, mistakes he made that he's now being held to account for and that he has to pay lawyers to defend him."
Christie, a former close ally of Trump in the GOP who was a potential 2016 running mate, added that Trump's funding diversion is "disgraceful" and a "continued grift" from the former president.
Christie also said that other members of Trump's family, including his daughter-in-law Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is married to his eldest son Donald Trump Jr., and Jared Kushner, son-in-law and husband to his eldest daughter Ivanka Trump, have been "involved in grifting for quite some time."
"He [Trump] was doing this with the people who got paid out of his PAC before, whether it was Kimberly Guilfoyle, other members of the family," Christie said.
"Jared Kushner, six months after he leaves the White House, gets $2 billion from the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund, when Donald Trump had put him in a position to be in the Middle East," Christie added in reference to reports Kushner's firm received a major investment from a fund led by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2021.
"What was Jared Kushner doing in the Middle East? We had Rex Tillerson and Mike Pompeo, secretaries of state. We didn't need Jared Kushner. He was put there to make those relationships and he cashed in on the relationships when he left the office," Christie said.
"So what Donald Trump is doing now is just a continuation of what he's permitted his family over the entire course of his time as president."
Despite his legal issues, Trump is still the overwhelming favorite to clinch the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.
According to a Saint Anselm poll of New Hampshire voters released on Tuesday, Trump leads the crowded GOP primary field with 47 percent, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis second on 19 percent, and Christie third on six percent.
Trump's office has been contacted for comment via email.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more