Trump finally breaks silence on Navalny — and makes it all about himself

Donald Trump finally broke his silence on the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny at an Arctic prison but stopped well short of condemnation.

The former president compared himself to Navalny — whom Russian authorities say collapsed and died from "sudden death syndrome" — and used Navalny's death to complain about the various criminal and civil legal proceedings against him.

"The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country," Trump posted Monday morning on Truth Social.

"It is a slow, steady progression, with CROOKED, Radical Left Politicians, Prosecutors, and Judges leading us down a path to destruction," he added. "Open Borders, Rigged Elections, and Grossly Unfair Courtroom Decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILING NATION! MAGA2024."

Trump posted repeatedly about his legal woes late Sunday into Monday morning, days after a $355 million fraud judgment against him by New York Judge Arthur Engoron, including an all-caps rant denying the findings in that trial just minutes before his Navalny comment.

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"My financial statements were understated, not overstated!" Trump posted. "This is why the crooked, hand picked judge, said that Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, was only worth $18,000,000, when it is worth 50 to 100 times that amount. Other properties also! They didn't even include 'brand value,' known and accepted to be worth many billions of dollars."

"This all fit the fake narrative of the corrupt and many times overturned 'judge,' and the radical left, Soros backed slob of an attorney general, whose primary goal is, in close coordination with the White House, and like all of the other litigation against me, an attack on Crooked Joe Bide's political opponent, me! Same story in Georgia, New York (D.A.) & Washington, D.C.," he continued.

"Nothing like this has ever happened in our country before," he said. "It is strictly third world, Russia, China at their worst. But fear not, we will win big on November 5th, and make America great again!!!"