Former President of the United States, Donald Trump, said this Tuesday (21) that Alexei Navalny was “a very brave man” and that he probably should not have returned to Russia, without attributing any blame for the leader’s unexpected death. of the Russian opposition.
As a result, Democratic President Joe Biden and other Western leaders blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny’s death, as well as Nikki Haley, who is far behind Trump as the only remaining rival in the Republican race for the presidential nomination.
“Navalny is in a very sad situation and he is very brave, he was a very brave guy because he came back. He could have stayed away,” Trump said during an interview with Fox News in South Carolina.
“And frankly, he probably would have been a lot better off if he had stayed away and talked from out of the country instead of having to come back because people thought that might happen and it did,” he added.
The Kremlin denied involvement in Navalny’s death and said Western allegations that Putin was responsible were unacceptable.
Trump – who expressed admiration for Putin during his tenure in the White House between 2017 and 2021, and after – continued to compare himself to Navalny, implying that both faced politically motivated prosecutions.
“This is happening in our country too,” Trump said. “We are turning into a communist country in many ways. And if you look at it, I’m the leading candidate. I am indicted.”
On Sunday, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social (his social network) that Navalny’s death made him “more aware of what is happening” in the United States,
Trump did not elaborate but has frequently dismissed the 91 criminal charges against him as politically motivated, an assertion prosecutors deny.
It is worth remembering that Biden sharply criticized Trump for Navalny’s death, saying: “Why does Trump always blame America? Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. Why can’t Trump just say that?”
