As of: February 21, 2024, 10:18 a.m
By: Helmi Krappitz
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Donald Trump remained silent for days about the death of Alexei Navalny.
Now the ex-US President spoke out - but didn't say a word about Vladimir Putin.
Greenville – Many politicians around the world remembered Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, but former US President Donald Trump remained silent for the time being.
Now Trump has also spoken out - but differently than expected: He compared himself and his fraud verdict with the treatment of Navalny in Russia.
“A form of Navalny”: Trump compares his trials to Navalny
Now Trump commented on the death of the Kremlin critic for the first time on Monday (February 19) and promptly compared himself to him.
“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our country,” wrote the 77-year-old on his social media platform Truth Social.
“It is a slow, steady progression, with lying, radical left-wing politicians, prosecutors and judges leading us down a path of destruction.”
He took up the topic again at a town hall meeting in Greenville, South Carolina, just days before the state's Republican presidential election.
In the hour-long appearance, which aired on
Fox News
, Trump railed against the more than $350 million fine imposed on him in a New York fraud trial, saying: "It's a form of Navalny."
Trump compares himself to Navalny: “It happens in our country too” © TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP
Navalny's death: Trump does not comment on Putin
Moderator Laura Ingraham asked to explain.
“Navalny – a very sad situation.
“He was very brave because he went back [to Russia] when he could have stayed away,” Trump said.
“It's a terrible thing, but it's happening in our country too.
We are turning into a communist country in many ways.” He added: “I have eight or nine trials because I am in politics.”
Due to some discrepancies, many are speculating about the cause of death of the Putin critic.
Navalny's family and many politicians blame the Kremlin chief for Navalny's death.
But despite requests, Trump did not mention Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to
Newsweek,
US President Joe Biden sharply criticized Trump after the appearance: “Why does Trump always blame America?
Putin is responsible for Navalny's death.
Why can’t Trump just say that?”
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Criticism of Trump: Ex-President said nothing about Navalny's death for days
Trump received criticism even before the appearance, particularly because he did not comment on the death of the Russian opposition figure.
It was said that the former president didn't care about human rights and that he was siding with Putin.
His only Republican rival in the campaign, Nikki Haley, made her position clear when news of Navalny's death broke: "Putin did this," Haley wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday (Feb. 16).
“The same Putin that Donald Trump praises and defends.
The same Trump who said, 'To be fair to Putin, you say he killed people.
I did not see that.'"
Putin friend: Navalny warned about Trump's second term in office
It wasn't until mid-February that Trump caused an uproar with statements at a rally in South Carolina.
He would not support non-paying NATO states in the event of an attack by Russia.
He would “even encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want.” Trump has often made positive comments about the Kremlin boss in the past.
But Navalny was also critical of the former US president.
The Putin opponent is said to have viewed Trump's agenda for the 2024 US election with concern from afar, according to the
New York Times
.
He is said to have warned about Trump in letters and called a second term “really scary.”
(dpa/hk)