(NewsNation) — The future of Ukraine aid and the fallout from the death of Alexei Navalny is taking center stage on the campaign trail as President Joe Biden faces a barrage of questions about how he will respond.
Biden said Monday he hopes Navalny’s death will move House Republicans to pass a $60 billion aid package to help Ukraine in its war against Russia, but he’s not sure they will.
“They’re making a big mistake by not responding. The way they’re walking away from the threat of Russia, the way they’re walking away from NATO. The way they’re walking away from meeting our obligations. It’s just shocking. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Biden told reporters.
Meanwhile, former presidential nominee Hillary Clinton says former President Donald Trump will pull the U.S. out of NATO following his comments encouraging Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to a NATO country that didn’t “pay its dues.”
This comes as both Biden and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley blame Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny’s death.
Trump took to Truth Social on Monday, mentioning Navalny for the first time but not naming Putin, focusing his post on the U.S. and his own legal troubles.
“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country. It is a slow, steady progression, with CROOKED, Radical Left Politicians, Prosecutors, and Judges leading us down a path to destruction,” Trump wrote.
Haley criticized Trump’s comments, saying, “Donald Trump could have condemned Vladimir Putin for being a murderous thug. Trump could have praised Navalny’s courage. Instead, he stole a page from liberals’ playbook, denouncing America and comparing our country to Russia.”
In another war abroad, Biden continues to face backlash from members of his own party for supporting Israel in its war against Hamas, which the Health Ministry in Gaza says has claimed the lives of over 29,000 Palestinians.
Prominent Democratic Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is urging Michigan voters to cast their ballots for “uncommitted” instead of Biden in next week’s Michigan primary. This will be the real test of whether Biden’s support abroad is costing him politically at home.
