19-2-2024 (WASHINGTON) Former US President Donald Trump, known for his controversial praise of Russian leader Vladimir Putin during his tenure, finally addressed the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a cryptic social media post on Monday (Feb 19), refraining from assigning blame.
In a post on social media, Trump remarked, “The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country,” seemingly drawing a connection between Navalny’s death and his own political challenges.
Trump’s post continued, “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.”
Contrastingly, President Joe Biden, on Friday, directly accused Putin of responsibility for Navalny’s death, a sentiment echoed by Trump’s main Republican rival, Nikki Haley. Biden asserted, “Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.”
Despite bipartisan condemnation of Putin from former presidents and top members of Congress, Trump, currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in the November election, had maintained silence until Monday.
During his White House tenure from 2017 to 2021, Trump had expressed admiration for Putin. Last week, he raised eyebrows by suggesting that the United States might not guarantee protection to NATO allies not meeting defense spending commitments in the event of a potential Russian invasion.
