Former President Donald Trump is continuing to liken himself to the late-Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
During a Fox News town hall event on Tuesday, Trump was asked about the onerous $354 million penalty imposed on him in New York’s civil fraud trial.
“It is a form of Navalny,” the former president responded. “It is a form of communism or fascism.”
Watch the video below:
Trump on his Civil Fraud Fine: It’s a form of Navalny pic.twitter.com/0tQMea3Jci
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 21, 2024
At a separate point, he insisted, “We are turning into a communist country in many ways. And if you look at it, I’m the leading candidate… I got indicted four times… all because of the fact that I’m in politics. They indicted me on things that are so ridiculous.”
His comments refer to Navalny who died on Friday after spending years as a leading opposition figure against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his oppressive regime.
Navalny survived being poisoned in 2020, after being the subject of a chemical attack in 2017, and then rather than being scared off, returned to Russia to continue his work opposing Putin.
He was arrested upon his return.
And his death on Friday came after he had been moved to a penal colony above the Arctic Circle.
Also on Friday, a New York judge ordered Trump and his companies to pay $355 million. The ruling came after the judge found Trump inflated his net worth in financial statements.
Now, a lot has been written about the ridiculous nature of the Trump case. Namely, there was not an allegation that anyone lost money or was harmed.
And, yes, it’s absolutely ridiculous to target Trump for actions that are apparently quite normal in the real estate world. It is also ridiculous since it is not as though the penalty is being distributed to banks or lenders who lost money from Trump, but the state.
But, Navalny he is not.
To continue to compare financial hardships he is facing, in part due to at the very least the appearance of impropriety, is stolen valor. And it’s shameful, egotistical behavior.