Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is set to visit former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Friday. However, Orbán's trip to the United States does not include a meeting with President Biden or a visit to the White House.
This visit, which was first reported by The New York Times, was made without an invitation from the White House, as reported by The Guardian.
Orbán, who has been in office since 2010, is known for promoting what he calls “illiberal democracy.” However, his leadership has faced criticism from international observers, including the US State Department.
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They have accused him of leading an increasingly autocratic system in Hungary, with allegations of rolling back minority rights, controlling the judiciary and media, and manipulating the country's election system to remain in power, according to The Associated Press.
During his visit to the US, Orbán is expected to participate in a panel discussion with the leader of the conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, on Thursday. Following that, he will head to Trump's estate in West Palm Beach.
Orbán's alliance with Trump has been well-documented, with the former president regularly praising the Hungarian prime minister in his campaign speeches.
In August 2022, the two leaders met at Trump's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, when Orbán traveled to the US to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas.
Orbán's stance on issues such as mass migration and border security has garnered support from some American conservative commentators. He has been praised for standing against the European Union on these matters.
In 2019, Orbán implemented a policy exempting women with four or more children from paying income tax for life, a move celebrated by some on the right as protecting family values, according to the BBC.
Heritage Foundation senior fellow Mike Gonzalez questioned the Biden administration's funding of agitation against Hungary in a 2023 op-ed. He asked why the administration was targeting a NATO ally with a pro-American population.
Gonzalez argued that Hungary's government stands up for Western values, which irritates liberals in the White House.
There have been concerns that Viktor Orbán may be lobbying the US on behalf of Russia. Katalin Cseh, a member of the European Parliament representing Hungary's opposition Momentum party, expressed her concerns to The Guardian.
She suggested that if Trump truly was the China hawk he claimed to be, he would be questioning Orbán about his relationship with Beijing. Cseh also raised the possibility that Trump and Orbán could be exchanging notes on how to undermine NATO to suit Russian interests.
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