US President Donald Trump asserted he is “the only one that matters” while commending Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a meeting of world leaders at a Gaza “peace summit” in Egypt. “We love Viktor,” Trump stated onstage, adding to the prime minister, “You are fantastic, alright?”
“I know a lot of people don’t agree with me,” Trump continued, “but I’m the only one that matters when—. You are fantastic.” Trump continued to praise Orban, who has faced criticism for efforts to dismantle liberal democracy in Hungary.
Since assuming office in 2010, Orban has seized control of independent governmental institutions, curtailed press freedoms, and targeted his political opponents, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
“He’s a great leader,” Trump said. “I endorsed him the last election he had, and he won by 28 points. So you’re going to do even better this time if you have another election,” he added, assuring him, “We’re behind you 100 percent.”
With parliamentary elections scheduled for next spring, Orban’s ruling party, which has dominated Hungarian politics for 15 years, appears to be trailing a new opposition party in public opinion polls.
The Center for European Policy Analysis noted that this has raised concerns—which may ring familiar here in the U.S.—that if Orban were to lose, he might refuse to accept defeat and instead challenge the integrity of the vote.
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