U.S. president Donald Trump has publicly endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of the Hungarian national elections in six months’ time.
At the Gaza peace conference in Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday, October 13th, Trump praised Orbán as a “great leader” and pledged full American support for his upcoming election campaign.
Speaking at the summit, where world leaders gathered to celebrate the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Trump turned to Orbán and declared:
We have Hungary. … Viktor … You are fantastic. … I know a lot of people don’t agree with me, but I’m the only one that matters. You are fantastic. He’s a great leader. I endorsed him the last election he had, and he won by 28 points [Orbán’s Fidesz actually beat the opposition by 20 points]. So you’re going to do even better this time. You have another election and you’re going to do great and we appreciate it and we’re behind you 100%.
Trump’s remarks drew appreciation from Hungary, with Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó tweeting it is “great to have the President of the United States as our ally.”
Orbán also praised Trump for his efforts in securing peace in the Middle East:
The guns have fallen silent, the hostages are free, and long-awaited peace reigns in the Middle East. President Donald Trump has made it happen! Now it’s Europe’s turn. President Trump’s success proves that we must never give up on negotiations. Without talks, there’s no peace.
In a longer Facebook post, Orbán contrasted Trump’s perseverance with what he called Europe’s lack of stamina in diplomacy, writing that peace talks are “a marathon, not a sprint,” and calling on European leaders to follow Trump’s example.
In fact, Trump’s assertive diplomacy has transformed the Middle East, culminating in a historic peace agreement that has ended the war in Gaza. The president has also overseen the resolution of the Armenia–Azerbaijan dispute and initiated talks with Moscow over Ukraine—efforts that have starkly contrasted with the EU’s lack of leadership, wth the peace conference on Monday revealed the growing rifts between Washington and key European capitals.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared visibly uncomfortable as Trump lavished praise on Orbán. This is unsurprising, given that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee dismissed British claims of helping broker the Gaza ceasefire, calling Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson “delusional.”
Tensions also flared between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday as they shook hands in front of cameras. The embrace soon turned into something akin to an arm wrestle as the two presidents exchanged what seemed like intense conversation.
Lip readers suggest Trump accused Macron of “hurting” him and warned, “you will see what is about to happen.”
The words of warning may have had to do with the fact that Macron, along with Britain and a handful of other European countries, have formally recognised a Palestinian state, with Israel accusing them of prolonging the war by emboldening Hamas.
