BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) 鈥 Hungary's fiery, right-wing leader says Donald Trump鈥檚 victory will help his own battle against immigration and multiculturalism and restore traditional family values.
In Argentina, a president who once Trump at a political conference in Maryland is attacking his critics as rats and parasites, ranting against what he calls a corrupt elite and calling climate change 鈥渁 socialist lie.鈥
Trump's second term could realign U.S. diplomacy away from traditional international alliances and more toward populist, authoritarian politicians, according to both those leaders and outside observers.
Prime Minister Viktor Orb谩n of Hungary
Two days before Tuesday's election, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb谩n made a daring prediction.
鈥淒onald Trump will be president again, and that means by the end of the year, pro-peace political forces will be in the majority in the West,鈥 Orb谩n told state radio.
Orb谩n has been accused by the European Union of burying Hungary鈥檚 democracy by dominating media and building a network of loyal oligarchs. He has worried foreign leaders by drawing closer to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
What Orb谩n calls 鈥渋lliberal democracy鈥 has stigmatized civil-society organizations and cracked down on LGBTQ+ rights. It favors retaining power even if that means contravening traditional Hungarian allies' interests.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia
Trump has avoided publicly criticizing Putin and has consistently spoken warmly about him.
"There is clearly that sort of authoritarian-minded chemistry,鈥 between them, said Nigel Gould-Davies of the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London.
That chemistry aligns with Trump鈥檚 admiration for other authoritarian leaders, some of whom were elected by systems that were once democratic, Gould-Davies said, noting Hungary under Orb谩n as an example.
Trump has claimed that he will bring an end to Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine 鈥渨ithin 24 hours,鈥 an assertion welcomed by the Kremlin, which currently holds an advantage on the battlefield as well as roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory.
Moscow may hope that Trump will sow dysfunction in NATO given his demands that other members of the alliance meet agreed military spending levels, and his warnings that Russia could 鈥渄o whatever the hell they want鈥 to those who fail.
Gould-Davies observed before the election that the Kremlin would welcome Trump鈥檚 victory because of his apparent desire for the war in Ukraine to end on terms favorable to Russia. Putin and other authoritarian leaders will be encouraged by Trump鈥檚 reelection, which will mean 鈥渕uch less emphasis in American foreign policy on the importance and value of human rights,鈥 Gould-Davies said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of his country鈥檚 both beloved and polarizing political leaders. Under Modi, Hindu nationalism 鈥 once a fringe ideology in India 鈥 has become mainstream, and nobody has done more to advance this cause than the 74-year-old leader.
Some critics believe Modi鈥檚 politics have divided India, especially along religious lines. He was accused of using against the country鈥檚 minority Muslim community, especially in the last phase of election campaigning this year when he ramped up rhetoric against them.
To his supporters, Modi is a political outsider who broke the country鈥檚 history of dynastic politics. His rise has been boosted in part by promises to overhaul India鈥檚 economy, but also by Hindu-first politics that have resonated widely in a country where 80% of the population is Hindu.
To his critics, Modi has strained democracy and threatened India's secular fabric, while his attacks on media and free speech have grown in more than a decade of his rule.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey
Like Trump, Erdogan projects an image of strength that prioritizes national interests and relies on populist messages that present him as a champion of common people against elites.
The Biden administration has kept Erdogan鈥檚 government at arms鈥 length, but Trump and Erdogan have cultivated a cordial relationship. That's despite a series of differences between their countries, like when the Trump administration removed Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 over Ankara鈥檚 purchase of a Russian-made missile defense system.
President Javier Milei of Argentina
The president of Argentina has a style like Trump, rebukes multilateral institutions like the United Nations and has taken a , snubbing meetings with the leaders of traditional allies like and .
For many observers, the most involves that last year鈥檚 presidential election in Argentina was rigged against him. That, along with his of Argentina鈥檚 1976-1983 bloody military dictatorship has raised concerns about his impact on democracy.
Milei congratulated Trump on his election victory Wednesday by posting an image on Instagram of the two men hugging in front of their nations鈥 flags.
鈥淵ou know you can count on Argentina to carry out your task,鈥 the caption reads. 鈥淣ow, Make America Great Again.鈥
Analysts say his cash-strapped government 鈥 badly in need of support from the U.S., the largest stakeholder in the International Monetary Fund 鈥 has been betting on a Trump win. Milei鈥檚 administration is pinning its hopes on the idea that Trump could exert pressure on the IMF to lend more money to Argentina, its biggest debtor.
The fund is weighing whether to lend Argentina more cash, which Milei鈥檚 libertarian government needs to fully reenter the world market and exit currency controls. During Trump鈥檚 first term, the IMF granted Argentina 鈥 at the time led by conservative President Mauricio Macri 鈥 a controversial $57 billion bailout.
Mariano Machado, principal analyst for the Americas at Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk intelligence firm, said that while U.S. institutions and separation of powers are designed to prevent autocratic rule, "Argentina is now going back to a phase where the very parameters of its institutions are being pressured.鈥
Prime Minister
Robert Fico of Slovakia
While a leftist, Fico has used rhetoric similar to Trump's.
Fico even compared the July assassination attempt against Trump to his own wounding in a shooting in May.
鈥淚t is a carbon-copy scenario,鈥 Fico said. 鈥淧olitical opponents of Donald Trump are trying to imprison him, and when they don鈥檛 succeed, they enrage the public so much that some loser picks up a gun.鈥
Like Trump, Fico displays contempt for the mainstream media, and has declared war on illegal immigration. Fico has faced criminal charges for organized crime, which he denounced as politically motivated. The case was eventually dismissed.
The Slovak leader has condemned the West's approach to the war in Ukraine and canceled weapons shipments to Kyiv.
Fico, like Orb谩n, is known for his pro-Russian views, opposes EU sanctions on Moscow and has said he would block Ukraine from joining NATO.
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Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Krutika Pathi in New Delhi and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed.
