This handout from the social media platform X (previously Twitter) account of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban @PM_ViktorOrban posted on July 11, 2024 reveals Orban (L) posing with former US president Donald Trump at Trump’s property in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Seashore, Florida. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is actually no poster little one for democracy in Europe and most Individuals have by no means heard of him, however he does have at the very least one fan in america: Donald Trump.
Trump cited the authoritarian nationalist Orban as a personality witness in the course of the former US president’s televised debate Tuesday with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Whereas Harris advised Trump to his face that he’s the laughing inventory of world leaders, Trump hit again and cited Orban’s help for him.
READ: Hungary vows to ‘make Europe nice once more’ with EU presidency
“Let me simply say about world leaders, Viktor Orban, one of the vital revered males,” Trump stated.
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“They name him a strongman,” the Republican added. “He’s a tricky individual, good, prime minister of Hungary. They stated, why is the entire world blowing up? Three years in the past it wasn’t. Why is it blowing up? He stated, since you want Trump again as president.”
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This was not the primary time Trump has praised Orban and the help he will get from the Hungarian chief.
READ: Key takeaways from Kamala Harris-Donald Trump debate
They’re strikingly related males, each fancying themselves robust on immigration, as an example.
The US and different Western nations have repeatedly slammed Orban’s file on freedom of expression and faith, and on human rights, notably these of LGBT individuals.
Only a few world leaders are brazenly pro-Trump and lots of European officers have stated publicly they dread a second Trump time period within the White Home.
When Trump survived an assassination try on July 13 throughout a marketing campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Orban was among the many first leaders to name and need him effectively.
‘Flattery and favors’
Trump and Orban are so snugly in sync that the slogan of Hungary’s present six-month presidency of the European Union is “Make Europe Nice Once more,” a play on Trump’s MAGA jingle for America.
The 2 are clearly fond of each other and have been assembly an increasing number of.
Their final encounter was on the sidelines of a NATO summit in July, when Orban traveled to see Trump at his Mar-a-Lago luxurious property in Florida. Orban went there in March, too.
The July go to got here on the finish of an Orban journey to Kyiv, Moscow and China, a mission aimed toward discovering a option to finish the battle in Ukraine. It included a gathering with President Vladimir Putin, who’s accused of battle crimes stemming from the 2022 invasion that began the battle.
This assembly infuriated European leaders who accused Orban of conducting rogue diplomacy, ignoring EU coverage.
Orban is near Russia, and is a critic of Western sanctions towards it and of assist to Ukraine. He opposes Ukraine’s want to affix the European Union.
Trump has stated that if he’s reelected he can finish the battle in a day.
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Throughout Tuesday’s debate, Harris attacked what she referred to as Trump’s bloated ego. “It’s completely well-known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting so that you can be president once more as a result of they’re so clear, they’ll manipulate you with flattery and favors,” she stated.
