Viktor Orbán Undermines U.S. on World Stage

‘Let me tell you about world leaders,” Donald Trump said at last week’s debate. “Viktor Orbán — one of the most respected men — they call him a strongman. He’s a tough person. Smart.” Trump is right — the Hungarian prime minister is both tough and smart. But Orbán is also turning Hungary into China’s economic backdoor into Europe. What’s more, while Trump has called on Europe to contribute more to the defense of Ukraine, Orbán is working hard to prevent Europe from picking up its share of the costs. If Trump wants to put America First, Orbán is the last person he should be learning from.

Orbán has built a following among American conservatives with high-profile efforts to own the libs, as some Republicans might say. When 161,000 migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq abruptly entered Hungary illegally in 2015, Orbán ignored howls of opposition from the EU and built a fence on his southern border. When Orbán champions his “war on woke progressives” and praises the traditional family, he sounds a lot like an American-style conservative.

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Peter Doran

Peter Doran is a senior adjunct fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

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Ivana Stradner

Ivana Stradner is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

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‘Let me tell you about world leaders,” Donald Trump said at last week’s debate. “Viktor Orbán — one of the most respected men — they call him a strongman. He’s a tough person. Smart.” Trump is right — the Hungarian prime minister is both tough and smart. But Orbán is also turning Hungary into China’s economic backdoor into Europe. What’s more, while Trump has called on Europe to contribute more to the defense of Ukraine, Orbán is working hard to prevent Europe from picking up its share of the costs. If Trump wants to put America First, Orbán is the last person he should be learning from.

Orbán has built a following among American conservatives with high-profile efforts to own the libs, as some Republicans might say. When 161,000 migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq abruptly entered Hungary illegally in 2015, Orbán ignored howls of opposition from the EU and built a fence on his southern border. When Orbán champions his “war on woke progressives” and praises the traditional family, he sounds a lot like an American-style conservative.