After Russian prisoner death, Lincoln Project pegs Donald Trump as Vladimir Putin’s twin

Screenshot via The Lincoln Project's 'Twins.'

Instantly after learning a Russian opposition leader died in prison, the Lincoln Project looked to spotlight Donald Trump’s coziness with Vladimir Putin.

The Lincoln Project released a new ad called “Twins” comparing the personalities and leadership styles of the former U.S. President and Russian leader. The ad doesn’t specifically mention Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s death, but was published within hours of the news.

In promoting the ad, the Never Trumper organization drew a direct line to Navalny’s death and Trump’s threats against his own domestic adversaries.

“All of Putin’s most high-profile critics are now either dead, jailed or in exile,” reads a Lincoln Project post on X.

“Navalny’s poisoning, imprisonment and death is a preview of coming attractions Americans can look forward to under a Donald Trump presidency.”

The Russian prison service confirmed Navalny died in an Arctic prison after falling ill on Friday, as reported by Reuters. The Russian government jailed the opposition leader in 2021.

As the latest Lincoln Project ad notes, the comparisons between Trump and Putin have been numerous through the years. The result has been a sympathy for Russia among some of Trump’s most loyal supporters.

“Why does MAGA love Vladimir Putin so much? He reminds them of someone they love,” a narrator states. “Both are pathological liars.”

The advertisement grabs comments Trump made ahead of and after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, when his supporters attempted to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump in the Presidential Election. The Lincoln Project ad suggests that response shows Trump shares Putin’s willingness to react to critics with deadly force.

“Both use violence to attack law and order,” a narrator states. The ad then cuts to Trump’s speech on Jan. 6 urging supporters to march on the Capitol, saying “We will never give up, we will never concede. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved.”

Elsewhere in the ad, clips show Trump blaming the Jan. 6 insurrection on Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and compares that to Putin blaming his own military’s invasion of Ukraine on a need for “denazification” there.

The ad also suggests that both leaders hate women, showing an infamous 2016 clip of Trump criticizing Megyn Kelly’s debate moderation by saying she had “blood coming out of her wherever.”

And it suggests both Putin and Trump “think their supporters are stupid.”

But it closes by saying America still has a safeguard Russia does not for stopping Trump winning election to another term.

“But the one big difference between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, in America, our votes count,” a narrator said. “We can stop Donald Trump. Don’t let MAGA turn America into Russia. Vote because you still believe in America.”

Trump loves Putin because Trump sees himself in Putin: both hate democracy, both hate women, both think their supporters are fools. Trump wants to turn America into Russia. We can't let him. pic.twitter.com/l6EIU0lXKJ

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) February 16, 2024