The death of Alexei Navalny in a West Siberian prison on Feb. 16 reminds the world of the brutality of the Putin regime. Navalny was a political prisoner whose greatest crimes were speaking out against President Vladimir Putin and the murder and corruption within the Russian government. In 2020, Navalny nearly lost his life after being poisoned. Despite everything stacked against him, he used his platform to fight for change in Russia.
Navalny and Putin are individuals for whom there are no counterparts in present-day America. That doesn’t mean extreme actors on both sides of the aisle won’t try to make comparisons.
Former President Donald Trump would love for supporters and undecided voters to view him as a victim. But media and legal targeting do not mean Trump should be supported in his third bid for the White House. And they certainly don’t mean he is in any way comparable to Alexei Navalny. Unsurprisingly, Trump disagrees.
During a recent town hall with Laura Ingraham on Fox News, Trump said, “Navalny was a very sad situation. And he’s very brave. He was a very brave guy because he went back; he could have stayed away.”
When asked about the civil fraud case against him in New York and the multi-million dollar penalty, Trump responded, “It’s a form of Navalny. It is a form of communism or fascism.”
There’s nothing “Navalny” about it. Trump’s legal problems are in no way similar to attempts on someone’s life and eventual death at the hands of the government.
Not to be outdone, leftist writer Amanda Marcotte took the other extreme. In a piece at Salon titled “Donald Trump may not believe in God, but he still plans to turn America into a Christian theocracy,” she writes, “Putin’s Russia is a model of the Christian dictatorship that MAGA Republicans want … Putin’s Christianity is defined by who he hates: Feminists, LGBTQ people, Ukrainians, and anyone perceived as liberal or open-minded.”
Marcotte believes Trump is similar to a murderous dictator such as Putin. And the mere existence of generally shared criticisms (for instance, opposing feminism or certain LGBT “rights”) somehow translates to sharing entire worldviews. It’s a convenient way to make Trump and his followers look no different than Putin and his underlings. Suddenly, your fellow Americans with whom you have ideological differences are no different than a dangerous madman on the other side of the world.
It’s far too easy to rationalize support or condemnation of someone or something by tethering it to some brand of modern-day evil. Putin is waging war against Ukraine in a show of maniacal domination. His actions have killed thousands. His critics back home are silenced, harmed, or murdered. His country is poor, and freedoms are severely limited. In every way, he represents the opposite of what we hold dear in the United States.
Trump has been far too kind to him over the years. That behavior should be unequivocally denounced. But it doesn’t mean Trump is like Putin or would rule as he does. Trump, for all his many faults and wrongdoings, is not Putin. And despite the existence of certain criticisms or actions against him, Trump is also not Navalny. Trump’s feelings about being treated unfairly aren’t equal to what Navalny experienced.
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In America, you’re allowed to spout these extremes without fear of forceful retribution. You’re allowed to compare a former president to a cruel and unforgiving despot. You’re allowed to portray yourself as a martyr. You can continue to do these things even though you’re conspicuously wrong.
America is a far better place to live as both a citizen and leader than Russia. It’s a land of freedom, opportunity, and a wide range of political, religious, and cultural beliefs. The outrageous comparisons from or about Trump as they relate to Putin and his targets are born out of our shared privilege, nothing more.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.