Florida – Former U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Florida on Friday, a meeting that has sparked a lot of debate just as Trump is gaining momentum in his presidential run. Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham is one of those who publicly criticized the meeting, saying that former President Trump’s recent meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shows he “wants to be a dictator.”
Why does it matter
The day following Super Tuesday, Nikki Haley, the ex-Governor of South Carolina, declared she is putting her presidential campaign on hold, significantly clearing the path for Trump to secure the Republican nomination and challenge Joe Biden in the upcoming November general election. As the primary elections progress, the possibility of a Trump-Biden rematch appears increasingly probable, presenting Americans with less-than-ideal options should this situation unfold.
Politicians still respect Trump
Meeting with a leading EU country’s Prime Minister during the presidential campaign demonstrates to the public that Trump still commands respect among numerous global politicians, potentially altering independent voters’ perception of him as a prospective future president. Despite criticism of the meeting primarily due to the association with Orbán, often labeled an autocrat, the event attracted significant attention and nationwide media coverage, primarily benefiting Trump.
Trump-Orbán meeting in Florida
Donald Trump heaped praise on Viktor Orbán while hosting the Hungarian prime minister at Mar-a-Lago on Friday night. Trump called the visit “an honor” and seemed to reference the pair staying in contact after he left White House in 2021, saying they “kept in touch.” Trump said the European autocrat is “a noncontroversial figure because he said, ‘This is the way it’s going to be,’ and that’s the end of it, right? He’s the boss and … he’s a great leader, fantastic leader. In Europe and around the world, they respect him.”
The meeting sparked a lot of negative reactions
During a campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Friday, President Joe Biden used the Florida meeting to attack his likely opponent saying “You know who he’s meeting with today down in Mar-a-Lago? Orbán of Hungary, who’s stated flatly that he doesn’t thinks democracy works, he’s looking for dictatorship. I see a future where we defend democracy, not diminish it,” Biden added.
Stephanie Grisham says Trump only thinks of dictatorship
Stephanie Grisham, Ex-Trump White House press secretary, has slammed Trump meeting with Orbán during a recent interview on CNN.
“I think you’re looking at a second Donald Trump term … in terms of, he wants to be strong, that he can be tough with his own people … not be good to our allies, not be good to our people and not to, you know, defend people like in Ukraine. He wants to be a dictator,” Grisham said.
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Trump meeting leaders with authoritarian leanings like Orbán
Grisham mentioned she has participated in numerous meetings with international leaders, observing that Trump eagerly anticipated conversations with individuals like Chinese President Xi Jinping and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, both of whom, like Orbán, have faced criticism for their authoritarian tendencies.
Grisham says Trump will run as an autocrat if he gains a second term in office
During the Friday interview, CNN anchor Erica Hill questioned Grisham about whether it’s an “exaggeration” to say Trump wants to borrow from “Orban’s playbook” and is planning to rule as an autocrat if he gains a second term in office.
Grisham said it’s “absolutely not” and exaggeration,” and that Trump “wants to be a dictator.”
Funding Ukraine expected to stop if Trump is re-elected
Former U.S. leader Donald Trump will not give money to help Ukraine fight Russia if he wins the presidency again and that will hasten an end to the war, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said after meeting him.
“He will not give a penny into the Ukraine-Russia war and therefore the war will end,” Orbán, who is backing his long-time ally’s bid to return to White House, told state television late on Sunday as reported by Reuters. “As it is obvious that Ukraine on its own cannot stand on its feet.”
