Former President Donald Trump met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and won his support, sparking President Biden’s ire.
Prime Minister Orbán traveled to Florida on Friday to visit President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
The Trump campaign said the two discussed “a wide range of issues affecting Hungary and the United States, including the paramount importance of strong and secure borders to protect each country’s sovereignty.”
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Then-President Donald Trump (left) shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC. (Andrew Haller/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“There is no better, smarter, better leader than Viktor Orbán. He is great,” President Trump said. “He’s the undisputed guy because he says, ‘This is how it’s going to be,’ and that’s it. He’s the boss.”
The Hungarian leader backed Trump after the meeting, insisting the former president is one of the few world leaders who can bring peace.
“I was happy to visit the president.” [Donald Trump] today. “The world needs leaders who are respected and can bring about peace. He is one of them!” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on social media. Please come back and bring us peace, Mr. President! ”
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks at the Economic Forum of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Budapest, Hungary, March 4, 2024. Despite the differences between the West and East, Prime Minister Orban said on Monday that connections between the West and East are necessary. (Attila Volzi/Xinhua News Agency, via Getty Images)
Mr Orban, who has been in power since 2010, has promoted what he calls “illiberal democracy” and has been criticized by international human rights monitors, including the US State Department.
According to the Associated Press, he has pushed back against Hungary’s increasingly authoritarian regime, including allegations that he rolled back minority rights, controlled the judiciary and media, and manipulated the country’s electoral system to maintain power. He is under intense scrutiny for his leadership.
Mr Biden condemned the meeting in Pennsylvania during his campaign and labeled the two men enemies of democracy.
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US President Joe Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden attend a campaign event at Strath Haven Middle School in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, US. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Do you know who he’s meeting with today at Mar-a-Lago? Orbán from Hungary. He flatly states that he doesn’t believe democracy works, that he wants a dictatorship. ” Biden claimed.
He added, “We can see a future that protects democracy rather than weakens it.”
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
