Monday, February 19, 2024 – Former U.S President, Donald Trump has made his first public comment on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a social media post.
Trump, who drew criticism as U.S. president for his praise
of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, wrote;
"The sudden death of
Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our
Country," Trump wrote, appearing to link the death to his own political
issues.
"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"
Navalny, 47, fought for years against what he called vast
corruption in Putin's Russia, ruled by "crooks and thieves." He was
Russia's most prominent opposition leader and was detested by Russian president
Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin has denied involvement in his death and said
that Western claims that Putin was responsible were unacceptable.
Since Navalny's death was reported on Friday, former U.S.
presidents and top members of Congress from both parties also denounced Putin.
But Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to
challenge Biden in the November election, had remained silent until Monday.
President Joe Biden on Friday directly blamed Putin for
Navalny's death in a the penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, as did
Trump's main Republican rival, Nikki Haley. "Putin is responsible for
Navalny's death," Biden said.
During his 2017-2021 White House tenure, Trump expressed
admiration for Putin. In 2018, he refused to blame the Russian leader for
meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, casting doubt on the findings of his own
intelligence agencies and sparking criticism at home.
Last week, Trump went suggested that the United States might
not protect NATO allies who aren't spending enough on defense, from a potential
Russian invasion.
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