Former President Donald Trump finally commented on the death in an Arctic prison of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, using the occasion to criticize “grossly unfair” judicial decisions in the United States.
Trump had faced public criticism for failing to issue a statement following Navalny’s death in a penal colony in the Arctic Circle. He had been moved to a series of prisons and repeatedly placed in solitary confinement following his return to his home country following an attempted poisoning with a nerve agent.
“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me increasingly aware of what is happening in our country,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday.
‘It is a slow and steady progression, with corrupt and radical left-wing politicians, prosecutors and judges leading us down a path to destruction. Open borders, rigged elections, and blatantly unfair court decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILED NATION! MAGA2024’
Former President Donald Trump finally commented on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navelny, in a post in which he immediately went on to address his own complaints about the American justice system.
Although he didn’t specifically tie his post to his own legal situation, it came 15 minutes after he blasted the ‘CROWDED, HAND-CHONED JUDGE’ who ordered him to pay $355 million following his fraud trial in New York.
Notably, Trump’s statement did not specifically condemn Navalny’s death and imprisonment. It comes after President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “responsible.” A string of world leaders demanded Putin pay for the 47-year-old’s death in prison, with Latvia’s president saying he was “brutally murdered”.
Critics had pounced on Trump’s silence following Navalny’s death, which followed years of statements about his desire to “reach a long relationship with Russia” under President Vladimir Putin.
At a rally this month, Trump once again criticized NATO allies who failed to meet the agreed upon 2 percent threshold in defense spending, and later said he would encourage Russia to invade nations he calls lazy.
Navalny died in a Russian penal colony on the Artice Circle
President Biden has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.
On Truth Social Friday, Trump called the guy who made an AI version of the former president playing golf (above left) where he looks fat “despicable.” He shared several photos of him playing golf in real life to make his point.
In a follow-up post, Haley criticized Trump for staying silent about Navalny’s death but posting more than 20 times on social media about his legal drama and fake polls.
Haley, Trump’s latest rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, shared a 2015 quote from the former president in which he cast doubt on accusations that Putin had killed journalists.
“No, I wouldn’t protect you,” Trump said. ‘In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever they want. You have to pay. You have to pay your bills.
Trump’s remaining rival in the Republican primary, Nikki Haley, attacked Trump for his silence Monday morning in an interview on ‘Fox and Friends.’
“I’m surprised how weak his knees are when it comes to Putin. Because if you look at the fact, he still hasn’t said anything about Navalny’s death and that Putin murdered him. That’s what he does to his political opponents,” he claimed.
He had also attacked Trump on ABC’s ‘This Week’ on Sunday, accusing Trump of siding with Putin, one of whose top allies. Threatens nuclear attacks on Washington. if Russia does not succeed on the battlefield against Ukraine.
“Either he’s on Putin’s side and thinks it’s okay that Putin killed one of his political opponents, or he just doesn’t think it’s a big deal,” he said.
‘Either of the two is worrying. Either one is a problem,” Haley said.
Immediately following reports of Navalny’s death, Trump took to Truth Social to complain about AI-generated images of him playing golf that were manipulated to make him appear overweight, while attacking Biden over his visit to East Palestine, Ohio.
Trump continues to poll well against Biden nationally and has largely avoided condemnation within his own party for his stance on Russia as skepticism grows among House Republicans over U.S. military support. to Ukraine.
‘A broad coalition of political forces in the United States, ranging from Mike Pence on the right to Bernie Sanders on the left, are against Putin. Against them are Donald Trump and some of his acolytes, who are pro-Putin,” wrote conservative Trump critics William Kristol and Andrew Eggar in the Bulwark Monday.
‘The likely candidate of one of our two main political parties is pro-Vladimir Putin. This is a surprising fact. It is a frightening fact. It has to be a central fact of the 2024 campaign… Which is all the more reason to hang Putin around Trump’s neck. “It could well make Trump a harder sell to some undecided voters,” they advise.
President Biden said congressional Republicans were making a “bidding mistake” if they don’t act on the $60 billion in US support for Ukraine that has already been approved by the Senate.
‘They are making a big mistake by not responding. The way they are moving away from the threat of Russia, the way they are moving away from NATO. The way they are moving away from fulfilling our obligations. It’s just shocking… I’ve never seen anything like it,” Biden said at the White House on Monday after returning from Delaware.
He said he hoped Navalny’s death could make a difference among Republicans and said the administration was considering additional sanctions on Russia.