© Reuters
Trump supporters at a rally in Florida
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Presidential candidate Donald Trump is preparing to renew Republican cooperation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Trump made the request in a video address to an influential American conservative forum in Budapest.
Orbán is among Trump’s closest allies in Europe. Trump’s comments that he will not support NATO allies that do not cover the alliance’s defense costs have created tension among European leaders.
A second Trump term would strengthen relations with Hungary, which has been criticized by Washington for its cooperation with Russia and delaying Sweden’s NATO membership, which Budapest last gave the green light to in February.
Viktor Orbán was elected for a fourth term in the 2022 parliamentary elections, but the country is in recession.
“I look forward to working closely with Prime Minister Viktor Orban as soon as he is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States,” Trump said, calling Orban a “great man.”
Trump welcomed Orban and called him “boss”
“Together, we fought illegal immigration to protect our borders, create jobs, and protect traditions and Judeo-Christian values,” Trump said.
Trump met with Orbán in Florida in March. The Hungarian Prime Minister declared his support for him as president and commented that his return to the White House would bring peace to Ukraine.
During his speech at the forum, Orbán said that 2024 is a year of global elections, and conservative forces must come together to end “liberal hegemony”.
© Reuters
Orban during a meeting of conservatives in Brussels
