President Joe Biden slammed former President Trump for meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, saying the Hungarian premier was "looking for dictatorship".
"You know who he's meeting with today, down in Mar-a-Lago?" Biden told supporters in a campaign rally, reported The Hill. "Orbán 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."
Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham too criticized Trump's recent meeting with Orbán.
Grisham said in an interview on CNN that she has "sat in many bilateral meetings with world leaders" and that Trump "always looked forward to speaking" with figures like Chinese President Xi JInping and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, leaders who have been criticized for their authoritarian leanings like Orbán.
Orbán has repeatedly voiced his desire for the Republican Party to retake power. He travelled to Florida on Friday to meet Trump and also posted a Facebook picture of himself and the former US leader outside what appeared to be Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
"Make America great again, Mr President!" Orbán wrote in English.
He added, "President Trump was a president of peace, he commanded respect in the world, and thus he created the conditions for peace. During his presidency there was peace in the Middle East and peace in Ukraine. And there would be no war today if he were still President of the United States.
Trump with Orban tonight:
— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) March 9, 2024
“There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orban. He’s fantastic…He’s a non-controversial figure because he says, ‘This is the way it’s going to be,’ and that’s the end of it. Right? He’s the boss. No, he’s a great leader.” pic.twitter.com/8A1bUjm9fF
"We agreed that there will be peace when there are world leaders who want peace. I am proud that Hungary is one of those countries. We also agreed that there is still much potential in US-Hungarian economic relations.
"Here in America the campaign is in full swing, and indeed is rushing ahead. It is up to Americans to make their own decision, and it is up to us Hungarians to frankly admit that it would be better for the world – and better for Hungary, too – if President Donald Trump were to return to power."
According to a report in the AP, The Trump campaign said late Friday that the two men discussed "a wide range of issues affecting Hungary and the United States, including the paramount importance of strong and secure borders to protect the sovereignty of each nation."
Orbán's visit this week comes after he signed a new National Sovereignty Law that penalizes any foreign support of political actors in Hungary, part of the prime minister's longstanding battle against the European Union and international nonprofits criticizing his erosion of Hungary's democracy.
