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Former New Jersey GOP Gov. Chris Christie joked Friday he’s “living rent free” in Donald Trump’s head after the former president shared an unflattering photo of his 2024 presidential primary opponent sleeping on a plane.
The social media back-and-forth appears to have been sparked by an interview Christie, 60, gave the Financial Times Friday, during which he claimed Trump, 77, wishes he could be “Putin in America.”
“I think we see a pretty consistent pattern of him wishing he was a dictator, wishing he could be Putin in America. That’s what’s dark to me about it. That’s what he really wants. He wants to be a dictator,” Christie said.
Trump fired back in a Truth Social post, mocking Christie for falling asleep on a recent flight.
“Resting after a good 25 minutes of work!” Trump captioned the image of a slumbering Christie.
The former governor responded to the dig by accusing Trump of having obsessive thoughts about him — and soliciting campaign donations.
“Living rent free in Donald’s head. Make me a permanent resident. Donate today,” Christie tweeted — including a link to donate to his campaign.
Christie, who is running for president for a second time, endorsed Trump in 2016 after dropping out of the race after a sixth-place finish in the New Hampshire primary.
He then became an adviser to the former president ahead of the 2020 election before breaking with Trump over his stolen election claims
The former two-term governor has since been a vocal critic of the former president, blasting him during his 2024 campaign launch as “a lonely, self-consumed, self-serving mirror hog” and comparing him to the villainous Voldemort from the Harry Potter book series.
Trump took shots at Christie’s weight after his June 6 campaign launch, posting a doctored video on Truth Social that purported to show Christie making the announcement at an all-you-can-eat buffet and making fun of Christie’s use of the word “small” during his speech in New Hampshire.
“How many times did Chris Christie use the word SMALL? Does he have a psychological problem with SIZE?” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Christie responded by saying, “Breaking news … I have struggled with my weight for 20 years. What I haven’t struggled with is my character. I’ll put that up against Donald Trump’s any day. If that’s the best he’s got, then he’s lost his fastball.”
A RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Trump leading the pack of GOP candidates by a 30 point margin, with 52.4% support.
Christie is far-behind the front-runner, with an average of 2.4% support.
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