President Trump’s handling of the situation is a reminder of the soft-spoken rhetoric he has used toward Russia over the years and has drawn bipartisan criticism as he prepares for an expected general election rematch with President Biden. invited. His defenders, including his vice presidential candidates, have in some cases dodged questions about his response, leaning instead on comparisons.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Friday that he would like to see the Biden administration speak out against the jailing of President Putin and his major political opponents as Democrats in four different jurisdictions seek to turn President Trump into America’s Navalny. I want you to watch over me.” X, formerly Twitter. “The hypocrisy and corruption on the left is astonishing.”
In Washington, the impact of Navalny’s death has not receded. The White House announced on Friday it would unveil a “major sanctions package” targeting Russia following the death of Navalny in an Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence.
Mr. Biden blamed Mr. Putin for Mr. Navalny’s death and used it to call for greater U.S. support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, a nonpartisan foreign policy think tank, said she was “not at all surprised” by President Trump’s reaction to Navalny’s death, including comparing it to himself.
“I’m sure this is a politically expedient message for him, but it sounds completely false,” Ashford said.
The episode is part of a particularly grim chapter in a story that has long fueled concerns that Trump is too friendly with Putin. Earlier this month, he renewed alarm among U.S. allies by saying he would encourage Russia to invade NATO countries that don’t spend enough on defense.
These comments, as well as Trump’s response to Navalny’s death, prompted Nikki Haley, his last rival in the presidential primary, to criticize Trump and criticize her foreign policy experience as a former U.N. ambassador. It gave me a new opportunity to emphasize. Polls show Haley trailing Trump by a wide margin ahead of Saturday’s primary in her home state of South Carolina.
“My only comment is [Trump is] People are trying to talk about Mr. Navalny, not bashing him for killing President Putin, not praising him for fighting corruption in Russia, but instead calling him and himself Navalny. Are you going to compare him and yourself as a victim of a lawsuit? ” Haley said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. “He’s so distracted and focused on himself, and America can’t afford to go through this.”
The comparison comes as Trump faces 91 charges related to four criminal indictments during his campaign to return to the White House. In a separate civil suit in New York, a judge on Friday ordered him to pay more than $350 million in fines for using “blatantly false financial data” in his financial statements.
Republican senators who are being discussed as President Trump’s running mate have avoided criticizing Navalny over his response to his death. Sen. Tim Scott (South Carolina) called Putin a “murderous dictator” in a CNN interview Sunday before Trump said anything about the death, but Trump did not speak up. He declined to say whether it should be raised.
“We need strong American leadership to actually push back against Russia and other dictators,” Scott said. “Unfortunately, Joe Biden has not responded to that charge, but Donald Trump has.”
Another vice presidential candidate, Rep. Elise Stefanik (RN.Y.), took a similar stance. Statement given to local press Monday. A spokesperson for the House Republican Conference chairman said Stefanik had “one of the toughest histories” on Russia and looked forward to returning to President Trump’s “peace through strength” policy. .
The renewed debate over President Trump’s stance on Russia is a lifeline for Republicans running against him in the primaries.
Former South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Cayton Dawson, who supports Haley, said Trump’s unwillingness to condemn Navalny’s death “certainly does not undermine our efforts in the state. ” he said.
“The military presence with the bases and the nuclear submarines and everything that we had grown up with here was against Russia,” Dawson said. “In South Carolina, you don’t have those warm, fuzzy feelings for someone who puts their arm around you.” [Russia]”
Alex Conant, an independent Republican strategist, acknowledged that while global conditions have been a weakness for Trump in the primaries, the issue has done little to diminish the former president’s status as a front-runner. Ta.
“It didn’t affect us in 2016, and it hasn’t affected us so far in 2024,” Conant said. “He will win the nomination despite his weak rhetoric on Russia. That’s not the reason.”
