Russia and Putin · 2024 campaign · № 80
Responded to Alexei Navalny's death without mentioning Putin, comparing it to his own legal cases
“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country. 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”
- Said
- , Truth Social post
- Subject
- Navalny's death
- Type
- Praise and deference
- Topic
- Foreign policy
- Era
- 2024 campaign
What happened
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in a Russian prison in February 2024. President Biden said 'what has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin's brutality.' CNN reported that Trump's campaign, asked for a response in the hours after the news broke, pointed to a Truth Social post that did not mention Navalny or Putin; that Trump spoke for about 90 minutes at a Michigan rally that weekend without mentioning Navalny; and that his first mention was sharing an editorial headlined 'Biden:Trump::Putin:Navalny' on February 18. His February 19 post used the death to describe prosecutors and judges in his own cases. At a Fox News town hall with Laura Ingraham broadcast February 20 he called the $355 million New York fraud judgment against him 'a form of Navalny' and, despite prompts from Ingraham, did not mention Putin when asked about Navalny, saying Navalny 'was a very brave guy because he went back.' Rival Nikki Haley said Trump 'needs to answer' whether Putin killed Navalny.