Former President Donald Trump ignited new controversy on Monday with his take on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Rather than pointing the finger of blame at Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump compared the Navalny situation to what’s happening in the United States.
“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country,” he posted on social media. “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”
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both immediately blamed Putin for Navalny’s death and urged more funding for Ukraine as a result. Trump did neither — his post on Monday did not mention Putin or Russia at all.
“I mean this in a literal sense: History is watching,” Biden said Friday. “History is watching the House of Representatives. The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten.”
Trump’s critics have long accused him of being pro-Russia and pro-Putin, and the post attracted a new wave of criticism along those lines.
David Alexrod, former chief strategist to Barack Obama, was among those weighing in, saying that Trump was comparing himself to Navalny.
“After saying nothing about the assassination of Navalny for days, Trump finally comments — not to honor the fallen hero; not to condemn Putin for the murder — but to improbably liken HIMSELF to the martyr, drawing false equivalences and running down our own democracy,” he wrote.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Trump’s last remaining Republican primary opponent, accused him of acting like a liberal.
“Donald Trump could have condemned Vladimir Putin for being a murderous thug,” she wrote. “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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But Trump had defenders, as well, who pointed to Putin’s actions during the last several presidential administrations as proof of Trump’s true influence.
“Under Bush, Putin invaded Georgia,” Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) wrote. “Under Obama, he seized Crimea. Under Biden, he launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin did nothing under President Trump because he feared and respected him.”
