Greenville, USA:
Donald Trump on Tuesday compared his legal troubles to the persecution of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who died in prison last week.
The former US president and current front-runner for the 2024 nomination has again refused to criticize Russian leader Vladimir Putin over Navalny’s unexplained death, despite being given the opportunity at a town hall meeting in South Carolina.
Navalny’s sudden death in an Arctic prison at the age of 47 shocked Russia’s exiled opposition and Western countries, with Western leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden blaming the Kremlin.
In an hour-long appearance on Fox News, Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the $355 million fine imposed on him in the New York fraud trial, saying “this is a form of Navalny.”
“This is a form of communism or fascism,” he added.
Despite being prodded by moderator Laura Ingraham, Trump did not mention Putin when asked about Navalny, although he lamented that “it’s a very sad situation.”
“He was a very brave man for going back. He could have left and, frankly, it would have been much better to leave and talk abroad.”
But, Trump added: “This is happening in our country too. We are becoming a communist country in many ways.
“I had eight or nine trials because… I was in politics,” he said
“If I lose the polls, they won’t even talk about me and I won’t charge any legal fees,” he claimed.
In addition to the civil fraud case in New York, Trump faces 91 criminal charges, including for alleged interference in the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden.
He used his legal woes to incite supporters, claiming the court case was “just a way to hurt me in the election.”
Trump has long been soft on Russia and has at times openly expressed his admiration for Putin, calling him a “genius.”
Earlier this month, he told congressional Republicans to veto a bipartisan bill that would have provided billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine.
He also recently shocked Western allies by saying he would “encourage” Russia to attack members of the NATO military alliance who fail to meet their financial obligations.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
