Donald Trump, who was criticized as US president for his praise of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, made his first public comment on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Monday in a social media post.
“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me increasingly aware of what is happening in our country,” Trump wrote, appearing to link the death to his own political problems.
“It is a slow and steady progression, with corrupt radical left politicians, prosecutors and judges leading us down a path to destruction. Open borders, rigged elections, and grossly unfair court rulings are DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILED NATION! MAGA 2024”
It was unclear what similarities Trump was trying to draw with Russia's most prominent opposition leader. Navalny, 47, has fought for years against what he called grand corruption in Putin's Russia, ruled by “thugs and thieves.”
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.
Trump protested a judge's order on Friday to pay $355 million in penalties for exaggerating his net worth to deceive creditors, a decision he called politically motivated. Trump is also preparing for four more criminal trials as he seeks the Republican nomination.
President Joe Biden has directly blamed Putin for Navalny's death at a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, as has Trump's main Republican rival, Nikki Haley. “Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” Biden said.
The Kremlin denied involvement in his death and said Western claims that Putin was responsible were unacceptable.
Since Navalny's death was reported this Friday (19), former US presidents and senior members of Congress from both parties have also denounced Putin.
But Trump, the favorite for the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in the November elections, remained silent until this Monday (19).
During his White House tenure from 2017-2021, Trump expressed admiration for Putin. In 2018, he refused to blame the Russian leader for meddling in the 2016 US election, casting doubt on the findings of his own intelligence agencies and provoking criticism at home. He refused to blame the Russian leader.
Last week, he suggested that the United States may not protect NATO allies that are not spending enough on defense from a potential Russian invasion.
Haley, a former South Carolina governor who will face Trump as an underdog in his home state's presidential primary on Saturday, called his response Monday unpatriotic.
“Donald Trump could have condemned Vladimir Putin for being a murderous thug. Trump could have praised Navalny's courage,” she wrote in X. Instead, she said, he denounced America and compared it to Russia.
Former Republican U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, vice chair of the congressional panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack storming the Capitol by Trump supporters, recalled Trump's frequent promise to seek “retribution” against political opponents if he regains power.
“What Vladimir Putin did to Navalny is what retribution looks like in a country where the leader is not subject to the rule of law,” Cheney said on Sunday (18).
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
