White House Outraged Over Orbán-Trump Meeting (Worthy News In-Depth)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s hardline Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has met with former American President Donald J. Trump in the U.S. state of Florida, sparking outrage in the White House where the visiting European leader was described as a dictator.
Trump, who is set to become the Republican nominee for the U.S. presidential election, received a public endorsement from Orbán, seen as the European darling of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
During Friday’s talks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the two spoke about “a wide range of issues affecting Hungary and the United States, including the paramount importance of strong and secure borders to protect the sovereignty of each nation,” said the Trump campaign.
The visit also “emphasized building relations between American and Hungarian conservatives and the benefits that could come from the election of President Trump in November,” added Orbán aide Gladden Pappin.
The meeting offered a preview of next month when Budapest, Hungary’s capital, will host for the third time CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. Orbán, an anti-migration leader who supports persecuted Christians and traditional families, will be a keynote speaker at CPAC, one of the biggest gatherings of conservatives.
Following their talks, Orbán published photos and videos to social media about his visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, writing in English, “Make America great again, Mr President!”
Trump was also seen in the posts offering a tribute to the prime minister, despite Western criticism over his perceived authoritarian style. “There’s nobody that’s better, smarter, or a better leader than Viktor Orbán. He’s fantastic,” Trump said in one video during a reception at his estate, standing on stage with a band.
‘LOOKING FOR DICTATORSHIP’
Yet as news about the meeting emerged, U.S. President Joe Biden condemned election rival Trump for meeting Orbán, saying the Hungarian prime minister was “looking for dictatorship.”
“You know who he’s meeting with today, down in Mar-a-Lago?” Biden, a Democrat, told supporters in a campaign rally that repeatedly referenced Trump.
“Orbán of Hungary, who stated flatly he doesn’t think democracy works and is looking for dictatorship,” Biden said.
He added: “I see a future where we defend democracy, not diminish it.”
Biden mentioned the meeting after criticizing Trump for having “encouraged” Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade NATO countries that did not pay their financial dues.
Yet Trump called Orbán “a noncontroversial figure,” pushing aside concerns over the Hungarian leader’s policies, such as taking over critical media and other previously independent institutions, as well as the rule of law concerns.
Trump suggested he likes Orbán’s hardline style, saying the Hungarian leader clarifies that “This is the way it’s gonna be, and that’s the end of it. He’s the boss.”
KREMLIN TIES
Hungary is the only European Union member state that has maintained close ties with the Kremlin after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Orbán seeks an immediate ceasefire and peace talks, arguing that Trump, who also sought close ties with Russian President Putin, is best qualified to find a way out of the armed conflict.
The Hungarian leader, in power since 2010, angered fellow EU leaders by meeting Putin while war was raging in Ukraine and calling for an end to sanctions against Moscow.
Orbán has defended those ties, saying Hungary has to think about its interests, including the estimated 150,000 ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine, some of whom “are dying in the Ukrainian army” fighting against Russia.
Last year, Orbán became the first Western leader to meet Putin since the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands, indicted the Russian president for “war crimes.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the Belt and Road forum in Beijing, China, Orbán told Putin in October that Hungary “never wanted to confront Russia.”
Orbán stressed that Hungary’s goal “has always been to establish and expand mutually the best contacts.”
Those words were ill-received by protesters and others who still remember the Russian troops crushing Hungary’s 1956 Revolution against Soviet domination.
If you are interested in articles produced by Worthy News, please check out our FREE sydication service available to churches or online Christian ministries. To find out more, visit Worthy Plugins.