President Trump on Monday commented on the death in prison of 47-year-old Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, posting a statement on Truth Social that compared corruption and repression in Russia to what is currently happening in the United States that drew sharp criticism from rival presidential campaigns. Joe Biden and Nikki Haley.
Navalny, who survived a 2020 poisoning with the Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent, reportedly collapsed and died on Friday while walking through the Polar Wolf prison, a former Soviet labor camp located north of the Arctic Circle. The previous day, Navalny appeared in court looking healthy and acting defiant.
Navalny appears healthy and in good spirits in the last known video allegedly filmed during court proceedings a day before his alleged death.
In it, Navalny addresses the judge via video link from his prison. pic.twitter.com/lUWjrPeybT
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) February 16, 2024
Prison officials told Navalny's mother that he died of “sudden death syndrome.” Navalny reportedly had bruises on his body consistent with convulsions, according to a paramedic. Navalny's widow and mother of her two children, Yulia Navalnaya, posted a video on Monday accusing Putin of killing her husband with the same nerve agent used in the 2020 poisoning.
Trump's post on Truth Social:
“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more aware of what is happening in our country. It is slow and steady progress, as radical left politicians, prosecutors, and judges lead us down a path of destruction. Open borders, rigged elections, and wildly unfair court decisions are all destroying America.” “We are a nation in decline, a failed nation! MAGA 2024”
Trump's comparison of Biden's United States and the Deep State has angered his critics, including the only remaining GOP challenger, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who posted: “Donald Trump could have denounced Vladimir Putin for being a murderous thug. Trump could have praised Navalny's courage. Instead, he stole a page from the liberal playbook, condemning America and comparing our country to Russia.
Donald Trump could have denounced Vladimir Putin for being a murderous thug.
Trump could have praised Navalny's courage.
Instead, he stole a page from the liberal playbook, condemning America and comparing our country to Russia. pic.twitter.com/CxAOGwIQEN
– Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 19, 2024
Biden campaign, “After days of silence, Trump finally responds to Alexei Navalny’s death by comparing Navalny to himself in rambling social media post.”
After days of silence, Trump finally responded to Alexei Navalny's death by comparing Navalny to himself in a rambling social media post. pic.twitter.com/obgeL20T46
-Biden-Harris Headquarters (BidenHQ) February 19, 2024
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) called Trump “human garbage.”
Human garbage pic.twitter.com/gJkP8jNGRP
– Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraine) 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@AdamKinzinger) February 19, 2024
Robbie Starbuck reposted a comment to Navalny on January 9, 2021, likening Putin's treatment of him to Trump's, “Someone just reported this to me and it's very strange. When Trump was banned by the old Twitter system, Navalny spoke out against it, calling it censorship similar to the censorship he practices in Russia His post almost foretells how Democrats will try to remove Trump from the ballot, too.
Someone tagged this for me and it's very weird. When Trump was banned by the old Twitter system, Navalny spoke out against it, calling it censorship similar to the one he practices in Russia. His post almost foretells how Democrats will try to remove Trump from the ballot, too. https://t.co/fQWMEJG92b
– Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) February 19, 2024
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich made the same comparison on Friday, saying: “Navalny’s death in prison is a brutal reminder that imprisoning your political opponents is inhumane and a violation of every principle of a free society. Watch the Biden administration speak out against Putin and his imprisonment of a prominent political opponent as Democrats in four different jurisdictions try to turn President Trump into an American Navalny. “The left’s hypocrisy and corruption is astounding.”
Navalny's death in prison is a brutal reminder that imprisoning your political opponents is inhumane and a violation of every principle of a free society. Watch the Biden administration speak out against Putin and his imprisonment of his prominent political rival while Democrats are in four…
-Newt Gingrich (@NewtGingrich) February 16, 2024
