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Title: ‘Trump compares his indictments to Navalny’s imprisonment and death – ExBulletin’
Body: GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) Donald Trump doubled down Tuesday by comparing his criminal indictments to the circumstances of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, the main political opponent of Russian autocratic leader Vladimir Putin, who died in a remote Arctic prison after being imprisoned by the Kremlin leader.
Appearing in a pre-recorded Fox News Channel town hall before a live audience in Greenville, South Carolina, Trump lamented Navalny’s death, which President Joe Biden and other Western leaders have blamed on Putin. Trump then turned on himself, repeating his claims that the proceedings against him were politically motivated, despite no evidence that Biden or the White House had ordered them.
Navalny is in a very sad situation and he is very courageous, he was a very courageous guy, Trump said in response to a question from Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham. He came back, he could have stayed away and, frankly, it probably would have been much better to stay away and talk about being out of the country rather than having to go home, because people thought that it could happen, and it did.
And it’s a horrible thing, but it’s happening in our country too, Trump continued, suggesting that his criminal indictments, which include two cases stemming from his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat, are proof that the United States is transforming into a communist country in many ways.
I’ve been indicted four times…all because I’m in politics, Trump said. They charged me for such ridiculous things.
He extended the comparison to his loss in a civil fraud trial last week, in which a New York judge ordered Trump to pay $355 million in fines after finding he had lied about his wealth for years.
This is a form of Navalny, Trump said. It is a form of communism, of fascism.
He did not give a clear answer when asked if he would post a bond covering the judgment, a necessary condition for appealing.
Trump made no mention of Putin, continuing his long-standing pattern of refusing to denounce and often complimenting the Russian leader since his time in the White House. But his remarks come as House Republicans have refused to provide more funding to Ukraine for its defense against Russian invasion and as many in the Republican Party increasingly accept Russian expansionism.
Putin recently suggested he preferred Biden in the White House to Trump. U.S. intelligence assessments of the 2016 and 2020 elections found that Russia was behind influence operations aimed at strengthening Trump at the expense of his Democratic Party opponents.
Ingraham interrupted Trump at town hall Tuesday to ask if he thought he could become a potential political prisoner for the rest of his life like Navalny. Trump avoided the question.
If I had lost in the polls, people wouldn’t even be talking about me and I wouldn’t have had any legal fees, he replied. If I was out, I think even if they hate me so much, I think if I went out they would still, let’s go after this guy, we can’t stand this guy.
The Fox town hall, recorded Tuesday afternoon and broadcast during Ingraham’s prime time on the network, marked Trump’s first extended remarks about Navalny since Russian officials announced his death. The town hall took place four days before Trump competed against Nikki Haley in South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary.
Ingraham began the discussion by offering Trump, who has praised Putin for years as a strong leader, the opportunity to clarify his only previous public reference to Navalny’s disappearance. In a social media post 72 hours after Russian officials confirmed Navalny’s death, Trump broke his silence without mentioning Putin or Navalny’s family.
The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our country, he wrote before castigating the radical left politicians, prosecutors and judges who are leading us down the path. path of destruction and repeating its false claims that American elections are riddled with fraud.
