On Monday, former President Donald Trump issued his first comment on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, comparing the lawyer’s death to his legal problems and saying it made him “more aware” of what is happening in America.
Trump was quiet on Navalny’s passing over the weekend, after he died under mysterious circumstances in a remote Russian prison. President Joe Biden has blamed the death on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, on Monday, Trump issued remarks on Truth Social. He did not mention Putin by name, instead issuing complaints about prosecutors, judges and Democrats conspiring against him, just days after he was ordered to pay $354 million as part of a civil fraud trial decision.
“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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!”
Trump, the leading candidate in the GOP presidential primary, has previously held relatively good relations with Putin, and has expressed a desire to have a closer relationship with Russia. Democrats have been highly critical of his rhetoric, and some Republicans have accused him of cozying up with dictators.
Trump has previously contested claims that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, many of which were contained in the Steele Dossier, funded by his 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton. Trump recently suggested he would not prevent Russia from attacking NATO allies who were not contributing the required 2% to defense spending.
Navalny was serving a 19-year sentence in Russia on charges of extremism, and in December, he went missing for several weeks, being secretly moved to a high-security penal colony near the Arctic Circle.
The “special regime” penal colony in Kharp, about 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow, is in a remote area known for its severe winters.
Navalny has been in the Russian prison system since January 2021. He was imprisoned upon returning to Russia after being poisoned by a nerve agent. The attack was blamed on Putin, who denied attempting to kill him.
Trump’s Monday post drew backlash from several of his opponents, including Nikki Haley, the only remaining candidate besides Trump in the 2024 GOP primary.
“Donald Trump could have condemned Vladimir Putin for being a murderous thug,” Haley said in a statement. “Trump could have praised Navalny’s courage. Instead, he stole a page from liberals’ playbook, denouncing America and comparing our country to Russia.”
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