Three days after the death in prison of the main Russian opponent, Alexei Navalny, Donald Trump has spoken for the first time on the matter in a publication on his platform, Truth Social. His reaction is very different from what President Joe Biden had on Friday, hours after hearing the news: he does not send condolences to the family, he does not hold Vladimir Putin responsible for his death and he takes the opportunity to launch a political message. victimist
“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more aware of what is happening in our country. It is a slow and constant progression, with radical left politicians, prosecutors and judges leading us down the path of destruction,” Has published. “Open Borders, Rigged Elections, and Unfair Court Decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A NATION THAT FAILS! MAGA2024,” he concludes in this publication, with his usual use of capital letters in his messages on Truth Social .
In the more than 72 hours that have passed since Navalni’s death, the White House and leaders of both parties in the US Congress have denounced Putin for his persecution of the main opponent and his treatment in prison. “The Russian authorities are going to tell their own story. But make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” Biden said, and assured that he is “contemplating” additional measures to punish Russia, which would be added to the sanctions already imposed. for his invasion of Ukraine.
But Trump, a politician who expressed admiration for Putin during his term and who often boasts in his speeches about a good relationship with him, has maintained his silence until Monday morning. And he has not denounced the Russian president, nor did he in 2018, when his own administration’s intelligence agencies demonstrated Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Looking ahead to the next elections, in November 2024, the relationship with Russia is the main axis of division in United States foreign policy. In the last two weeks, he has fully entered the campaign. Firstly, with the bill stalled in Congress for additional aid to Ukraine, which is rejected by Republicans closest to Trump, who argue that it makes no sense to continue financing a war without progress on the battlefield. Secondly, with the controversial interview by the media Tucker Carlson with Putin in Moscow, which became a kind of historical revisionism on the part of the president, lacking incisive questions on the part of the former Fox News presenter.
Thirdly, with the incendiary statements of Trump, who assured at a rally that, in a conversation with a leader of “a great European country” from NATO, he told him that he would “encourage Russia to do whatever the hell it wants” with allies who do not spend enough on defense. Fourthly, with Putin’s statements stating that he prefers Biden to win the elections because he “has more experience and is more predictable.” And, finally, with the alert from Republican Congressman Mike Turner, in which he stated that there is a “serious threat to the national security” of the United States, based on intelligence information, which the White House later confirmed concerns the Russian development of an anti-satellite weapons system.