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[Video below.] Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie launched a blistering attack on President Donald Trump during an appearance on ABC’s This Week, accusing the president of treating the White House as a vehicle for personal enrichment after reports that Trump earned $1.4 billion last year through his family’s cryptocurrency ventures.

Christie argued that Trump and his family view their return to office as permission to capitalize financially on their political success, comparing the situation to the conduct of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“He and his family believe they are entitled to this,” Christie said. “This is an entitlement to them. They believe, when they came back and won this election the second time, that that gave them license. That the American people gave them license to essentially go and take whatever they could take over this period of time. And, quite frankly, you know, when you look at the scale of this, here’s another thing apparently that Donald Trump learned from Vladimir Putin during his first term. This is Putin-esque type of corruption and self-enrichment!”

Trump has rejected suggestions that he is personally involved in managing his financial holdings. Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, he said he has no role in overseeing his investments.

“I don’t get involved in my personal — we have funds that run my money…I don’t talk to them. I never — I don’t even speak to them. So I have many people — I don’t know what they call it — closed accounts, or something. You put your money in, and that’s it.”

While Christie acknowledged that existing ethics laws do not prohibit the president from engaging in such financial arrangements, he suggested there could be constitutional issues. His remarks prompted host George Stephanopoulos to interject.

“Potentially the Constitution does, the Emoluments Clause,” Stephanopoulos said.

Christie agreed and pointed to Qatar’s gift of a new Air Force One aircraft as another example of what he believes are constitutional concerns. He also argued that repeated statements by Trump about the costs of various projects have damaged his credibility.

“I mean there’s a difference between, obviously, as you know, between the individual ethics laws, which do not apply to him, but the emoluments clause, when you look at the plane. And what I think will start to hurt him more is that he says things that turn out to not be true. 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 concluded by arguing that voters are increasingly taking notice of the controversy.

“The American people are starting to catch up to this. You can feel it.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Elon Musk delivered a blunt patriotic message over the Independence Day weekend, declaring that anyone who does not love the United States should be expelled from the country. The billionaire entrepreneur made the remarks Sunday as part of a series of pro-America posts shared on X, the social media platform he owns.

Musk’s comments came in response to a post by former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, who wrote that it was “OK to love America.”

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO argued that such a statement did not go nearly far enough.

He wrote:

“Not merely ‘ok.’ Anyone who doesn’t love America is a traitor and beneath contempt. Those who don’t love America, those who are disloyal should be exiled immediately.”

The post was one of several patriotic messages Musk shared throughout the Fourth of July holiday. Among them was an old photograph of himself as a young man standing in front of an American flag. He also reposted a portion of Vice President JD Vance’s Independence Day address and shared a video in which he likened the United States to Atlas, carrying the weight of the world.

In another message celebrating the nation’s founding, Musk reflected on reading one of America’s foundational documents.

“I read the Declaration of Independence out loud today with heartfelt conviction,” Musk said in another post. “It is a work not just of genius, but also of a purity of soul that resonates to this very day.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump escalated his ongoing public dispute with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday by sharing a meme on social media portraying her as obsessively fixated on him, adding another chapter to the increasingly bitter exchange between the two leaders.

The image showed Meloni looking toward Trump, with the caption across the top reading, “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED,” implying that she was behaving like a stalker.

The post was one of several images Trump shared throughout the day. Among them were a picture of him arm-wrestling Hulk Hogan, photos depicting him delivering speeches at Mount Rushmore and other locations, and a nostalgic early-1990s photograph featuring Trump alongside Marla Maples and Macaulay Culkin.

Trump also uploaded an altered image showing ex-President Barack Obama and ex-First Lady Michelle Obama boarding Air Force One. The edited photo featured “BLM,” Obama’s campaign slogan “Yes We Can,” and Arabic writing spray-painted across the aircraft.

The latest jab follows an increasingly public feud that erupted after last month’s conflict with Iran. Trump sharply criticized Meloni and several European governments, accusing them of failing to adequately support the United States during the military campaign. He also claimed he refused to take a photograph with Meloni at the G7 Summit in France because Italy allegedly declined to permit the United States to use “Italy’s landing strips or runways,” creating what he described as a “great logistical inconvenience.”

Trump further suggested that Meloni was now attempting to repair the relationship for political reasons.

“She wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up,’” Trump added. “No thanks!!!”

Meloni responded forcefully, describing Trump’s remarks as both “unprovoked” and “senseless,” while rejecting the notion that her political standing depended on her relationship with the American president.

“My popularity depends on my ability to defend Italy’s national interest, and that is exactly what I have always done,” she said. “That is also what I did regarding the American military bases in Italy. Their use is governed by agreements that we have always respected, and that cannot be violated as long as I am Prime Minister.”

She concluded with another pointed response directed at Trump.

“Italy remains a sovereign nation. In any case, my popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours.”

The increasingly heated rhetoric marks a dramatic shift from the cordial relationship the two leaders once enjoyed. Meloni had long been viewed as one of Trump’s closest political allies among European leaders. During a speech last year, Trump even praised her as a “beautiful young woman,” joking that such a compliment would normally amount to political suicide but saying he was willing to take the risk.

In recent weeks, Trump has also criticized NATO, arguing that the alliance failed to provide sufficient support during the conflict with Iran.

{Matzav.com}