Donald Trump says Alexei Navalny's death made him 'more aware' of his own political rivals, court cases

COLUMBIA, S.C. − Former President Donald Trump on Monday mentioned the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, though he said Russian President Vladimir Putin's most significant opponent made him "more aware" of his own political rivals and court cases.

Trump in a post on his Truth Social platform marked Navalny's "sudden death" in a Russian prison, but he did not blame or even mention Navalny's jailer, Putin.

Instead, Trump without evidence attacked "Radical Left Politicians, Prosecutors, and Judges" in the United States. He also appeared to refer to last week's civil court judgment against him of more than $450 million.

"The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country," Trump said in the post.

Trump's linkage of Navalny's death to politics in the U.S. drew immediate criticism from his Republican and Democratic opponents, who have long alleged he's afraid to say anything negative about the autocratic Putin.

That group includes former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump's last remaining major opponent in the Republican primaries.

"Donald Trump could have condemned Vladimir Putin for being a murderous thug," Haley said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "Trump could have praised Navalny’s courage.

"Instead, he stole a page from liberals’ playbook, denouncing America and comparing our country to Russia."

Trump's Monday post also drew a harsh assessment from former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who called the former president "human garbage" in a post on X.

President Joe Biden, Trump's likely opponent in the general election, has also long accused his predecessor of being overly cozy with Russia.

Referring to Trump's recent attacks on NATO, Biden said last week: "No other president in our history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Well, let me say this as clearly as I can: I never will. For God's sake, it's dumb, it's shameful, it's dangerous, it's un-American."

Trump's long disputed relationship with Putin and Russia was already front and center in the 2024 race for the White House – even before his Monday post about Navalny.

That's because Trump earlier this month suggested he would not help NATO members if they were attacked by Russia, saying he might even encourage Russians to “do whatever the hell they want” if he felt too many NATO countries were in arrears.

But Trump has been linked to Putin and Russia for as long as he has been in politics, including a series of investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded there was insufficient evidence to conclude that Trump's campaign coordinated with the Russians in 2016. However, it left open the question on whether Trump acted to obstruct the investigation.

Trump also had friendly meetings with Putin throughout his presidency. After a summit in Helsinki, Trump sided with Putin's denials over the conclusions of U.S. intelligence officials.

In 2020, Trump refused to condemn Putin or Russia after a poison attack nearly killed Navalny.

“We have to look at it very seriously - if that’s the case - and I think we will,” Trump said at the time. “I don’t know exactly what happened, I think it’s tragic. It’s terrible, it shouldn’t happen. We haven’t had any proof yet, but I will take a look."

Haley, who was Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, said during a Fox News town hall on Sunday: “Every time (Trump) was in the same room with (Putin) he got weak in the knees ... We can’t have a president that gets weak in the knees with Putin.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says Navalny's death made him 'more aware' of political rivals