Trump says his $355m fraud penalty is ‘a form of Navalny’

Donald Trump has said that being hit with a $350m judgement following his recent high profile fraud case was “a form of Navalny,” in reference to the jailing and apparent murder of the late Russian dissident.

The former president said that the ruling by New York judge Arthur Engoron – who he described as a “nut job” – was “a form of communism or fascism”.

On Friday, Judge Engoron found that Mr Trump, his sons, their Trump Organization associates and Trump properties were liable for tens of millions of dollars after defraudng banks and investors as part of a decade-long scheme to secure favourable financing terms for some of his brand-building properties.

Mr Trump — as well as his companies and his trust — were ordered to pay more than $350m, plus interest, while his sons were each ordered to pay roughly $4m.

Mr Trump took part in a town hall event, hosted by Fox News, in Greenville, South Carolina on Tuesday. During the event he was asked about his various ongoing court cases, as well as the shocking death of Alexei Navalny, a long-time political critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin has denied involvement in Navalny’s death and said that Western claims that Mr Putin was responsible are unacceptable.

Trump says his $355m fraud penalty is ‘a form of Navalny’

Mr Trump – who expressed admiration for Mr Putin during his 2017-2021 White House tenure and afterward – previously said in a post on his platform TruthSocial that the death of Navalny had made him “aware of what was happening in our Country”.

Mr Trump took part in a town hall event, hosted by Fox News, in Greenville, South Carolina on Tuesday

Asked about Navalny’s death on Tuesday evening, he replied: “It’s a very sad situation and he was very