Three days after the death in prison of the main Russian dissident, Aleksei Navalni, Donald Trump spoke out yesterday for the first time on the issue in a post on his platform, Truth Social. His reaction is very different from that of President Joe Biden on Friday, hours after learning the news: he does not send condolences to the family, does not blame Vladimir Putin for his death and takes the opportunity to send a political message victimist. “Aleksei Navalni’s sudden death has made me more aware of what is happening in our country. It is a slow and steady progression, with radical left-wing politicians, prosecutors and judges leading us down the path of destruction,” he published.
“Open Borders, Manipulated Elections, and Unfair Court Decisions ARE DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECAY, A NATION THAT FAILS!” he concluded, with his usual use of capital letters in messages to Truth Social.
In the more than 72 hours since Navalny’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 will tell their own story. But make no mistake: Putin is responsible for the death of Navalny”, said Biden, who assured that he is “suspecting” additional measures to punish Russia, which would be added to the sanctions already imposed for the invasion of Ukraine.
But Trump, a politician who expressed admiration for Putin during his tenure and who often boasts of a good relationship with him, remained silent until yesterday morning. And he did not denounce the Russian president, just as he did not in 2018, when his own administration’s intelligence agencies demonstrated Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
With a view to the next elections, in November 2024, the relationship with Russia is the main axis of division on the foreign policy of the United States. The last two weeks he has fully entered the campaign. First, with the stalled bill in Congress for additional aid to Ukraine, which is being rejected by Republicans closest to Trump. Secondly, with the controversial interview of media personality Tucker Carlson with Putin in Moscow, which became a kind of historical revisionism on the part of the president, lacking incisive questions from the former Fox News presenter.
Thirdly, with the incendiary statements of Trump, who assured a rally that, in a conversation with a leader of “a major European country” of NATO, he told him that he would “encourage Russia to do what wants” with allies who do not spend enough on defense. Fourthly, with Putin’s statements in which he stated that it is more likely that Biden will win the election because “he has more experience and is more predictable”. And, finally, with the warning of Congressman Mike Turner, in which he said that there is a “serious threat to the national security” of the United States, based on intelligence information, which then the White House confirmed that it has to do with Russian development of an anti-satellite weapons system.
