BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) 鈥 Former President Donald Trump made room during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris to express the mutual admiration he shares with Viktor Orb谩n, the autocratic leader of Hungary who has cozied up with Russia and China and became a thorn in the side of his allies.
鈥淭hey call him a strongman. He鈥檚 a tough person, smart,鈥 Trump said of Orb谩n in response to that world leaders are 鈥渓aughing鈥 at the former president.
鈥淟ook, Viktor Orb谩n said it. He said, 鈥楾he most respected, the most feared person is Donald Trump. We had no problems when Trump was president,鈥欌 Trump said.
Why is Orb谩n popular with conservatives?
Orb谩n, a right-wing populist and the European Union's longest-serving leader, has become to some U.S. conservatives for championing what he calls which includes some of the EU's harshest restrictions on and .
He has also cracked down on and judiciary in the formerly Communist Central European country and been accused by the EU of violating rule-of-law and democracy standards, all while vigorously , considered adversaries by his allies in the NATO military alliance.
Yet despite the growing consensus in the West that Orb谩n has abridged fundamental freedoms in Hungary, Trump and his wing of the Republican party have embraced him. While still in office in 2019, Trump welcomed Orb谩n for a meeting in the Oval Office, unnerving some lawmakers, while his former senior adviser, Steve Bannon, called the Hungarian leader 鈥淭rump before Trump.鈥
The former president as well as such conservative eminences like Tucker Carlson have praised Orb谩n's zero-tolerance attitude toward immigration 鈥 he built a double-layered fence along Hungary's southern border in 2015, after hundreds of thousands of refugees, mostly from Syria, fled into Europe.
They also laud Hungary's efforts to increase its flagging birth rate by offering generous subsidies and low-interest loans to families planning to have children, an effort Orb谩n has described as intended to avoid relying on immigration to remedy a declining population.
"There aren鈥檛 enough Christian, white, traditional Europeans in Europe,鈥 at a campaign rally in June. 鈥淚nstead, there鈥檚 a vacuum filled by migrants.鈥
Cozy relations with Trump
Such views have made him popular with the Conservative Political Action Conference, which has for the last three years. In 2022, he received a standing ovation at a national CPAC event in Dallas, telling the cheering crowd: 鈥淲e must take back the institutions in Washington and Brussels. We must find friends and allies in one another.鈥
The Hungarian leader has openly endorsed Trump鈥檚 candidacy in the November election, and boldly shared Trump's claim that the Republican will be able to swiftly bring an end to Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine.
Orb谩n, widely seen as having the warmest relations with Russian President , has routinely EU efforts to extend assistance to Kyiv and to sanction Moscow over its war. He has consistently pushed for a cease-fire but without detailing what it would mean for Ukraine's statehood or territorial integrity, or the potential security implications for Europe and the United States.
In July, Orb谩n met with Trump at the former president鈥檚 beachside compound Mar-a-Lago and shared a photo of the two on social media with the caption: 鈥淲e discussed ways to make peace. The good news of the day: he鈥檚 going to solve it!鈥
On his own social media site, Trump posted: 鈥淭hank you Viktor. There must be PEACE, and quickly.鈥
Trump's embrace of Orb谩n at the debate did not escape the attention of some prominent Democrats.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Hillary Clinton called Orb谩n 鈥渢he democracy-killing Hungarian dictator," while Tim Walz, Harris' running mate, told MSNBC late Tuesday: "He was asked for one world leader who is with him, and it was Orb谩n. My God, that's all you need to know.鈥
