The Hungarian government has made no secret of its desire for Trump to win the November election and return to the White House.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban held a meeting with former US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida Friday. According to Bertalan Havasi, spokesman for the head of government, they spoke for an hour.
They were accompanied by their closest staff members, the spokesman said. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, among others, also accompanied the Prime Minister to Florida.
? A true gentleman, the Hungarian Prime Minister presented a bouquet of flowers to Melania Trump.
Trump expressed great appreciation to the Hungarian Prime Minister. “There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orban. He’s fantastic…He’s a… pic.twitter.com/aD922LlufP
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) March 9, 2024
“After the meeting, the program continued with a joint dinner and concert,” Havasi was quoted as saying by the MTI news agency.
Donald and Melania Trump together greeted Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban at a Mar-A-Lago dinner reception. pic.twitter.com/XHHDGy3ER7
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) March 9, 2024
The spokesman did not disclose which topics Orban and Trump discussed, but before the trip to the US Hungarian officials said they would discuss the situation in Ukraine and the relations between the US and Hungary.
Donald Trump with Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán at Mar-a-Lago tonight.
Orbán is not planning to meet with Joe Biden on his visit to the United States. pic.twitter.com/cMDkSdH6Dp
— ALX ?? (@alx) March 9, 2024
The Hungarian government has made no secret of its desire for Trump to win the November election and return to the White House. It associates with the former US president hopes for the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict and the improvement of bilateral relations.
President Trump ? Prime Minister Orbán pic.twitter.com/RPnDgd1HyR
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) March 9, 2024
During this trip to the United States Orban visited Washington, D.C. on March 7, where he delivered a speech at conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. A meeting with US President Joe Biden was not on his program; Orban came to the US not at Biden’s invitation but to meet his political opponent and likely rival in the November elections once again. Experts consider the situation almost unprecedented for a NATO ally.
This was Orban’s third meeting with Trump, who once hosted the Hungarian prime minister at the White House. The Hungarian PM has never met Biden in person since he took office in January 2021, and relations between the two are considered strained. The Biden Administration disapproves of the Hungarian government’s stance on some international issues, including the Ukraine crisis. Orban, in turn, chose to discuss politics with Biden’s harshest critic and political opponent.