“There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orban. He’s fantastic…He’s a non-controversial figure because he says, ‘This is the way it’s going to be,’ and that’s the end of it. Right? He’s the boss. No, he’s a great leader.”
“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.”
"The right wing’s fondness for Orbán springs from his having rejected democracy and replaced it in Hungary with what he calls an 'illiberal state.' Orbán and other far-right leaders working against democracy maintain that the central principle of democracy, equality before the law, undermines society."
"It permits immigration, which, in their minds, dilutes the 'purity' of a people, and it requires that LGBTQ+ individuals and women have the same rights as heterosexual men. Such a world challenges the heteronormative patriarchal world traditionalists crave."
"Orbán’s takeover of the press, elimination of rival political parties, partisan gerrymandering, capture of the courts, and control of Hungary’s government are not just ideological, though, but also economic. Corruption and the capture of valuable factories and properties for cronies have allowed Orbán and his allies to amass fortunes."
"To Donald Trump, Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán is 'fantastic,' Chinese leader Xi Jinping is 'brilliant,' North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is 'an OK guy,' and, most alarmingly, he allegedly said Adolf Hitler 'did some good things,' a worldview that would reverse decades-old US foreign policy in a second term should he win November’s presidential election, multiple former senior advisers told CNN."
Noting that "Trump embraced an authoritarian the day after Biden fiercely defended democracy," David Rothkopf points out that the "2024 campaign began this week with a frightening distinction between the president’s promise to fight for fundamental American values and the ex-president’s villain worship."
As Trump met with Orbán and heaped praise on him….
@wdlindsy TY for your posts. There should be no doubts that #Trump prefers #Putin over America. #Ukraine needs US support along with the EU to win. Democracy matters. #VoteBlue
@wdlindsy no doubt if he knew any history he would also admire Spain’s dictator, Francisco Franco and Italy’s dictator, Mussolini. To say nothing of Nicolae Ceaușescu of Romania.
All “fine upstanding men” who knew their own mind.
But they all did appalling things to their people and their country.