After appearing in Washington last Thursday without an invitation from President Biden, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán traveled to Florida on Friday to meet Donald Trump.
Not only the 45e President gave him a warm welcome, but even Melania Trump, who only shows up exceptionally, took part in the celebrations. The black sheep of Western democracies has been entitled to great honors.
AFP
Orbán and “illiberal democracy”
The Hungarian Prime Minister has led his country since 2010 and he was re-elected for a fourth consecutive term in April 2022. These successive victories for the populist, however, hide abuses that we should fear.
Orbán has long played on two sides. He wants to make the most of his ties with European democracies, but in many respects imitates authoritarian leaders.
If the Hungarian prime minister, whose rise began with the fall of communism, was once considered an important figure in democracy, he is now working to develop an ultraconservative, Christian and anti-immigration movement.
His governance was marked by a decline in freedom, attacks against the press and against the independence of the judiciary. In his eyes, it is possible to dissociate democracy from liberalism. This is why he promotes what he calls “illiberal democracy.”
When we consider Orbán’s liberticidal approach, we understand the accumulation of mandates a little better. With limited freedoms and the absence of checks and balances, we are closer to Vladimir Putin than to a democratic ideal.
- Listen to the American political column with Professor Luc Laliberté via QUB :
Trump’s fantasy
American conservatism is becoming radicalized. A group of conservatives like CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) no longer hides from associating with the extreme right and Orbán is one of its darlings.
It is therefore not surprising that Orbán showed up in Washington on Thursday to meet with another group of conservative activists (Heritage Foundation). It’s no more surprising that Trump likes it.
What is is that a candidate who is struggling to win over moderate Republicans and independents is so open with a political leader whose beliefs and ways are light years away from the values of more than half of American citizens.
Just as he does not hesitate to praise the Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin of this world, the 45e President shows no restraint when he reserves praise for Orbán.
This is how he presented it: “There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader“. Before adding: “This is the way it’s gonna be and that’s the end of it, right? He’s the boss.»
What Donald Trump says is that the Hungarian Prime Minister is a great leader, the greatest, and that he is the leader. Don’t be surprised if Trump behaves like an authoritarian leader if he is re-elected, he will have warned us.