Former president Donald Trump hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at his Florida residence, Mar-A-Lago. It was only the latest of the meetings that he has had with autocratic leaders.
Mr. Orbán was not invited by the White House, neither will he meet with anyone from the Biden administration. He traveled to the U.S. only to visit his long-time friend Mr. Trump. Over the last few years, since 2010 when he became President, Orbán has transformed Hungary into what he calls an “illiberal democracy”, where there are serious restrictions on immigration and where freedom of the press and LGBTQ+ rights have been eliminated or curtailed. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, his relations with the European Union – of which Hungary is a member – have become increasingly strained because of his close alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr. Orbán, “one of the strongest leaders in the world” according to Mr. Trump, is supporting conservative think tanks in Washington D.C. to pave the way for Trump over the next few months before the elections in November. The Hungarian Prime Minister spoke at the Heritage Foundation on Thursday. “Supporting families, fighting illegal migration and standing up for the sovereignty of our nations. This is the common ground for cooperation between the conservative forces of Europe and the U.S.”, he wrote on X.
Mr. Trump has warmly embraced authoritarian rulers, from Russia’s Vladimir Putin to North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. He also opened up Mar-A-Lago to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
