Despite falsely claiming he is being politically persecuted like Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, former president Donald Trump has so far refrained from openly denouncing Russia and President Vladimir Putin for Navalny’s murder.
The Republican presidential frontrunner has yet to respond directly, which has raised further concerns about his possible second term policies towards Russia in light of his earlier statements this month suggesting that Russia should invade a NATO member that is underfunding its defence.
Trump, who is now facing 91 criminal allegations and asserts, without proof, that he is being unfairly pursued politically due to his presidential campaign, wrote on Monday, “The unexpected passing of Alexei Navalny has increased my vigilance regarding the state of our nation. The CROOKED, along with the radical left in politics, prosecution, and the judiciary, are guiding us steadily towards disaster.
The United States of America is in ruin due to open borders, unfair elections, and incredibly biassed court decisions. We are a nation that is falling apart, a nation that is failing! Truth Social was Trump’s platform. He has entered not guilty pleas in all four of the counts against him.
In his tirade against the multiple criminal accusations levelled against him and his assertion that he was a victim of political persecution last year, Trump drew parallels between himself and Nelson Mandela, the first president of post-apartheid South Africa who spent 27 years behind bars.
“What has happened to Navalny is even more proof of Putin’s savagery.” President Joe Biden was among the Western leaders who reacted forcefully to the news of Navalny’s murder, which occurred while he was detained in Russia.
At a campaign rally in Michigan over the weekend, Trump talked for over an hour and a half without commenting on the death of the opposition leader, Navalny, in stark contrast to his long history of supporting Putin. His team directed AWN to a Trump post on Truth Social that attacked Biden and asserted, “America is no longer respected,” but did not address Navalny or Putin, when asked if Trump had a statement in the hours following the news of Navalny’s death.
In the aftermath of Navalny’s death, Trump initially brought up the subject when he shared an editorial piece from tippinsights with the title “Biden:Trump:Putin:Navalny.” The piece made an unfounded claim about “some parallels between how the Biden administration is targeting the former president of the United States and how President Putin went after his arch-nemesis.”
Among Trump’s remaining GOP primary opponents, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley has criticised Trump time and time again for skirting the topic of Navalny’s death. Navalny was a “hero” in Haley’s eyes, and she has placed the responsibility for his death on Putin.
“Trump must respond to that. Does Putin, in his mind, murder him? In his opinion, was Putin justified in assassinating him? Does he consider Navalny a hero, too? Haley made the announcement during a South Carolina event on Saturday.
During a town hall meeting on Fox News on Sunday, she reiterated those remarks, adding, “Donald Trump needs to answer whether he thinks Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.”
An outspoken opponent of the former president, former Wyoming GOP Representative Liz Cheney, stated on Sunday’s episode of AWN’s “State of the Union” that “the issue this election cycle is making sure that the Putin-wing of the Republican Party does not take over the West Wing of the White House.”
In 2020, following the poisoning of Navalny with a deadly nerve weapon from the Soviet era, Trump chose not to join other world leaders in denouncing Russia while he was still in office. In a surprising rejection of the US intelligence community’s assessment of Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election, Trump sided with the Russian tyrant, Vladimir Putin, whom he has long professed to admire.
