Trump compares Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's death to his own legal woes
Donald Trump compared the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to the legal peril he faces, but did not mention Vladimir Putin.
Former President Donald Trump on Monday compared the sudden death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a prison colony to the legal peril he faces in the United States, elevating a talking point in some right-wing circles linking the two in his first comments on Navalny’s death.
“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “It is a slow, steady progression, with CROOKED, Radical Left Politicians, Prosecutors, and Judges leading us down a path to destruction. Open Borders, Rigged Elections, and Grossly Unfair Courtroom Decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILING NATION! MAGA2024.”
Trump's comments came after a judge who presided over a civil business fraud trial against the former president on Friday ordered him, his sons, business associates and his company to pay more than $350 million in damages. Trump also faces criminal liability in four separate jurisdictions after being charged for his effort to overturn the 2020 election, handling of classified documents and alleged hush payments to women.
Nikki Haley, Trump’s former ambassador to the U.N. and lone remaining major candidate facing him in the GOP presidential primary, condemned Trump’s response to Navalny’s death. Haley criticized Trump repeatedly over the weekend for not mentioning Navalny’s death, which was reported Friday, and for recent comments in which Trump said he once told NATO allies he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” if those allies did not increase their defense spending.
“Donald Trump could have condemned [Russian President] Vladimir Putin for being a murderous thug,” Haley tweeted. “Trump could have praised Navalny’s courage. Instead, he stole a page from liberals’ playbook, denouncing America and comparing our country to Russia.”
Rating: 5