Trump-Era Washington Draws Closer To Viktor Orbán

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — whose self-described "illiberal democracy" in Hungary has been the subject of criticism over rule of law issues and the weakening of democratic institutions — didn't have a particularly good relationship with President Obama's administration.

Under President Trump, however, things are changing. Trump's preference for strongmen leaders (like Orbán, or the Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte) is well-documented, a factor that works in Orbán's favor. It also probably doesn't hurt that Orbán was the first (and one of the only) sitting world leaders to endorse Trump's campaign back in 2016. The newly warm attitude toward Hungary from the Trump administration has alarmed those working to protect the rule of law and freedom of the press — and raises concerns that, in supporting Orbán, the Trump administration is working to exacerbate divisions within the European Union.

This quote from David Cornstein, the newly minted U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, aptly encapsulates this shift occurring under Trump: “If you see something is not democratic, something is hurting the Hungarian government and people, you should say something about it,” he told the Times. “But it should be done in private. You don’t voice that opinion first and foremost in the media.”