Donald Trump on Monday gave an endorsement to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has been criticized by the Left internationally and was recently snubbed by the Biden White House, which did not invite him to participate in a “democracy” summit.
In a statement published by his Save America PAC, Trump said Orbán “truly loves his Country and wants safety for his people.”
The 45th president also praised the Hungarian leader’s restrictionist immigration policies, which have drawn the ire of the European Union.
“He has done a powerful and wonderful job in protecting Hungary, stopping illegal immigration, creating jobs, trade, and should be allowed to continue to do so in the upcoming Election. He is a strong leader and respected by all,” Trump lauded, giving Orbán his “Complete support and Endorsement for reelection.”
In an election scheduled to take place in the spring of this year, Orbán will face a challenge from politician Péter Márki-Zay. If Orbán is reelected, it will be his fourth term in office.
Márki-Zay, a conservative who currently serves as mayor of the southern city of Hódmezővásárhely, won the race to become Hungary’s opposition joint candidate for prime minister. His support comes from a coalition of six opposition parties, including socialists and the Jobbik, a former far-right group that is now center-right, per Reuters.
The spring race will mark the first time Orbán will confront a united group of opposition parties working together with the deliberate purpose of driving him out of power.
Biden notably did not invite Hungary to its “Summit for Democracy,” which focused on bolstering democracy, protecting against authoritarianism, fighting corruption and advancing human rights. Over 100 countries were invited.
Orbán’s political positions have often earned him the label “far-right” from mainstream-media outlets. In addition to seeking to restrict immigration into his country (in contrast to the EU’s open-arms stance toward mostly Muslim migrants from Africa and the Middle East), the Hungarian prime minister has fought back against progressive social agendas, such as transgenderism.
Despite pressure from pro-LGBT entities around the world over his new anti-pedophile laws that ban the promotion of homosexuality and transgenderism to minors, Orbán stood by the legislation, defending it as a mechanism to protect parental rights related to their children’s education.
Among those criticizing the Hungarian legislation is Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which is funded by the U.S. government.
In defending the recent anti-pedophile laws, Orbán maintained that “education in schools must not be in conflict with the will of parents; it must at most be supplementary, its form and content must be clearly defined and it must be subject to parental consent” and that “parents also rightly expect that on platforms used by our children, pornography, sexuality for its own sake, homosexuality and gender reassignment programs should not be available.”
He pointed out that the laws do not interfere with the private practices of consenting adults but are only aimed at protecting children, affirming that “in Hungary, no one has a say in how adults live their lives” and that “a free adult should not have to give an account of his life in front of any secular authority — only before God when the time comes.”
Trump’s endorsement of Orbán marks a first, as the 45th president had not previously endorsed candidates to foreign office, though he has been actively engaged in helping elect allies to all levels of federal, state, and local office in the United States. These efforts have included endorsing candidates for offices that would play a key role in rejecting the outcome of a fraud-ridden election in 2024.
But Trump’s campaign to reshape the Republican Party is encountering pushback from the GOP’s establishment wing. The anti-Trump faction is coalescing around Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who has launched a nationwide tour to support and raise money on behalf of Republicans whom Trump is trying to primary. This includes Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and others who voted to impeach Trump.
Hogan’s allies have even created a nonprofit with the aim of positioning him as a major national Republican leader, possibly with the ultimate goal of running him in the 2024 GOP presidential primary.
In the next few years, the longevity of Trump’s brand of anti-globalist conservatism will be put to the test. Could the fate of Orbán’s reelection bid be a window into whether globalism will be able to crush the America First movement here at home?
