Former Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson called former President Donald Trump “offensive” for comparing himself to deceased Russian activist Alexei Navalny.
Hutchinson reacted to the former president’s words in an interview with CNN’s John Berman, saying the comment lacked “common decency.”
“Well, it’s offensive to me. And there should be common decency, first of all. A respect for Alexei Navalny, that gave his life for freedom and fighting against a dictator. There should be respect for that,” said Hutchinson.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who suspended his 2024 Republican presidential candidacy in January, speaks to reporters in Detroit, Michigan. (Asa Hutchinson campaign)
Hutchinson continued, “And there should also be a clear understanding that Putin is responsible, and that Putin is bad for Russia. He’s bad for anybody that loves freedom, and the United States should be having a clear voice.”
Trump wrote on social media following the news of Navalny’s death that the mysterious passing “has made me more and more aware of what’s happening in our country. It is a slow, steady progression with crooked radical left politicians and prosecutors and judges.”
The comment received strong backlash from those inside and outside the Republican Party, with many calling the remarks tone deaf.
HALEY CONDEMNS TRUMP’S REACTION TO NAVALNY DEATH: HE ‘PUT US ALL IN DANGER’
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen on a TV screen, as he appears in a video link provided by the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service in a courtroom of the Second Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow. (AP Photo, File)
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley claimed Trump’s comments were intentionally and obviously self-serving.
“This is on the heels of Trump saying that he would encourage Putin to invade any NATO countries that didn’t pull their weight – and now the only comment he’s going to make about Navalny is not hitting Putin for murdering him, not praising Navalny for fighting the corruption that was happening in Russia. But instead he’s going to compare himself to Navalny and the victim that he is in his court cases?” she said.
Former President Donald Trump speaking at a rally in Waterford, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Trump again addressed the suspicious death while participating in a Greenville, South Carolina, town hall hosted by Fox News’ Laura Ingraham just days ahead of the state’s Republican presidential primary – striking a more sympathetic tone.
“Navalny – a very sad situation. He was very brave because he went back [to Russia] when he could have stayed away,” Trump said when asked about the outrage from world leaders surrounding Navalny’s death, as well as claims by his opponents that he doesn’t care about human rights and freedom.
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz, Brandon Gillespie, and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.