Trump Endorses Viktor Orbán: Why U.S. Presidents Should Avoid Foreign Election Interference

From Donald Trump on Truth Social this morning:

Now, the merits of Orbán are debatable; as I’ve argued before, he’s a good leader by the very low standards of Hungarian politics, and he reflects longstanding Hungarian interests in the survival of a distinct national culture and language in ways that are very different from how Americans think — but he shouldn’t be considered a role model for anyone in American politics. His management of Hungary’s economy, in particular, has been poor. His foreign policy is often uncomfortably cozy with American adversaries such as Russia and China, but that also reflects Hungary’s strategic position and economic interdependence with Russia. Still, it’s perfectly fine for Trump to tout his good working relationship with a flawed foreign leader, and it’s a long habit of American administrations to do that with an implicit understanding that this will be used to help friendly leaders (or even lesser-evil ones) get reelected at home.

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Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

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From Donald Trump on Truth Social this morning:

Now, the merits of Orbán are debatable; as I’ve argued before, he’s a good leader by the very low standards of Hungarian politics, and he reflects longstanding Hungarian interests in the survival of a distinct national culture and language in ways that are very different from how Americans think — but he shouldn’t be considered a role model for anyone in American politics. His management of Hungary’s economy, in particular, has been poor. His foreign policy is often uncomfortably cozy with American adversaries such as Russia and China, but that also reflects Hungary’s strategic position and economic interdependence with Russia. Still, it’s perfectly fine for Trump to tout his good working relationship with a flawed foreign leader, and it’s a long habit of American administrations to do that with an implicit understanding that this will be used to help friendly leaders (or even lesser-evil ones) get reelected at home.