Donald Trump said that he would commit to debating president Joe Biden “as many [times] as necessary” should he secure the GOP nomination, at a townhall event in South Carolina on Tuesday, during which he compared his own legal struggles to the plight of late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny.
The former president gave a typically lively performance during the interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, in which he discussed his various ongoing court cases, as well as the shocking death of Navalny, a long-time skeptic of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Asked if felt like he was at risk of becoming a “political prisoner”, following the multiple lawsuits being brought against him, Mr Trump singled out the $350m judgement handed down by New York judge Arthur Engoron.
“It’s a form of Navalny,” he said, adding “It is a form of communism or fascism.”
Despite Mr Trump’s brief praise of Navalny as “very brave”, the Russian activist was less complimentary – having issued a chilling warning about what a second presidential term for Mr Trump could mean in one of his final letters before he died.
According to The New York Times, Navalny described the prospect of a second Trump term as “really scary”.