(AFP) – US President Joe Biden criticized election rival Donald Trump on Friday for meeting Viktor Orban, saying the Hungarian premier was “looking for dictatorship.”
Orban traveled to Florida on Friday to meet his “good friend” former US president Trump. He has frequently expressed hope for the Republican’s return to power.
“You know who he’s meeting with today, down in Mar-a-Lago?” Democrat Biden told supporters in a campaign rally that repeatedly slammed Trump.
“Orban of Hungary, who stated flatly he doesn’t think democracy works and is looking for dictatorship.” He added: “I see a future where we defend democracy, not diminish it.”
Biden referred to the Orban meeting immediately after blasting Trump for having encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade NATO countries that did not pay their financial dues.
Orban Friday evening posted photos and videos to social media showcasing the visit to the former US leader’s Mar-a-Lago residence, writing in English, “Make America great again, Mr. President!”
Trump is seen in the posts offering a tribute to the prime minister during a reception at the Florida estate. “There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orban. He’s fantastic,” Trump said in one video, standing on stage with the band. “He’s a noncontroversial figure because he said ‘This is the way it’s gonna be,’ and that’s the end of it. He’s the boss,” the real-estate mogul added.
“The visit emphasized building relations between American and Hungarian conservatives, and the benefits that could come from the election of President Trump in November,” Orban aide Gladden Pappin told AFP. Hungary is the only EU member that has maintained close ties with the Kremlin following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Orban regularly advocates for immediate ceasefire and peace talks, arguing Trump, who has previously expressed admiration for Putin, is best qualified to find a way out of the conflict.
The Hungarian leader angered fellow EU leaders by meeting Putin in September and has previously spoken out against Western sanctions on Moscow. –
© 2024 AFP
