Trump held ‘friendly’ meeting with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán at Mar-a-Lago and then took autocrat to a concert

CNN
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Donald Trump and a small group of shut advisers met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for roughly an hour Friday night time on the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort, sources aware of the matter instructed CNN.

Afterward, Trump took the European autocrat to a tribute band live performance that was a part of a “members solely” occasion on the membership.

One of many sources acquainted described the assembly as a “social assembly” with no agenda, whereas a separate supply mentioned it was “pleasant.” Orbán, a fourth supply instructed CNN, sought the assembly with Trump and had been planning to be within the US individually.

Trump, in accordance with a readout from his marketing campaign, met with Orbán “to debate a variety of points affecting Hungary and the USA, together with the paramount significance of robust and safe borders to guard the sovereignty of every nation.”

The assembly underscores Trump’s historical past of embracing global strongmen – at instances on the expense of extra conventional US allies.

A Biden administration official confirmed to CNN that the White Home didn’t prolong an invite to the authoritarian chief to fulfill with President Joe Biden, and he didn’t request a White Home assembly throughout his journey to the US this week.

Biden earlier within the day steered the assembly between the Hungarian strongman and Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, was worrying.

Requested whether or not he was involved concerning the Mar-a-Lago talks, Biden mentioned: “If I’m not, you need to be” — suggesting it was solely pure for him to be alarmed by the assembly between Orbán and Trump.

Orbán’s far-right populism, fierce anti-immigration rhetoric, Christian nationalism and hostility to LGBTQ rights has made him a well-liked ideological mannequin for Trump’s “Make America Nice Once more” followers. He has spoken previously on the Conservative Political Motion Convention – an annual gathering of pro-Trump forces – and Hungary will host one other version of CPAC’s abroad conferences subsequent month.

The Biden administration has largely declined to touch upon Orbán’s conferences with Trump, however the president seized on the visit throughout remarks Friday night within the essential 2024 battleground of Pennsylvania.

“ who he’s assembly with at present, down in Mar-a-Lago? Orbán of Hungary, who acknowledged flatly he doesn’t assume democracy works — he’s searching for dictatorship,” Biden instructed the gang gathered for what was his successfully his first rally of the 2024 normal election marketing campaign.

“That’s who he’s assembly with,” Biden added. “I see a future the place we defend democracy, not diminish it.”

CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Betsy Klein and Michael Williams contributed to this report.