Haley: Trump Silence on Navalny, NATO Stance ‘Emboldened’ Putin

(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump’s silence after the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, as well as his comments on NATO, have “emboldened” Russian President Vladimir Putin, GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley claimed Sunday.

“I think it’s important to stand with the Russian people who believe Navalny was really talking for them,” the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador told ABC News’ “This Week.”

Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison last week was a “hero,” but Putin “killed him, just like he does all his political opponents,” Haley said.

“Vladimir Putin is not cool,” she added.

Trump posted on his social media after Navalny’s death that he would “bring peace, prosperity, and stability” if he is reelected.

Haley also accused Trump of encouraging Putin through his comments on NATO.

“When you hear Donald Trump say in South Carolina a week ago that he would encourage Putin to invade our [NATO] allies if they weren’t pulling their weight, that’s bone-chilling,” she added. “All he did in that one moment was empower Putin.”

NATO must be kept strong, Haley warned.

“Russia has never invaded a NATO country,” she said. “China is even intimidated by this alliance. Keeping NATO strong is important. Adding more friends to the fold is important. This is not the time to leave an alliance. This is not the time to side with a thug and not side with our friends, who stood with us after 9/11.”

The United States must start talking seriously about foreign affairs, Haley said, pointing out the wars in Ukraine and Israel and North Korea’s testing of intercontinental weapons.

“You’ve got Iran who’s trying to kill our American soldiers and you’ve got Russians who are doing blinding satellites in space,” she said. “This is not the time to talk about America hiding in a bubble and not doing anything with the rest of the world.”

But under President Joe Biden, America is becoming “more isolationist,” Haley said, pointing out the president has not spoken about how helping Ukraine is important or why Iran is a danger.

“When you don’t talk about those things with the American people, they’re going to distance themselves from it,” she said. “Joe Biden has failed on that front. That has emboldened our enemies.”

Haley also accused Congress of failing on the foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel because they are making it sound like there is a choice between providing military aid and securing the border.

“They are lying to the American people,” she said. “This is about Joe Biden and Congress understanding that they need to choose national security. They have to communicate that to the American people and they are not doing that right now.”

Haley also criticized Trump for endorsing two advisers and his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to head the Republican National Committee, saying his move “should be a wake-up call for Republicans all over this country.”

“We saw in his campaign reports that he used $50 million of campaign contributions to pay for his personal court cases, and then he tried to get the RNC to name him the presumptive nominee,” Haley said. “The part I worry about is the RNC is not going to be the piggy bank for Trump’s legal fees.

“You can hang up winning the House and the Senate or having any resources for us to win any other races if all they’re doing is thinking about how they’re going to pay his court fees.”