In a surprising show of admiration and respect, Donald Trump spoke out in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, two political figures who have been widely criticized for their authoritarian governance styles.
The American President made his comments during an exclusive interview with Fox News on July 21, 2020. When asked about Putin’s record on civil liberties and human rights, Trump remarked that he thought the Russian leader was “very smart” before immediately switching topics to attack American democracy. “Tremendous corruption and tremendous stupidity,” the US President proclaimed.
Despite Putin’s known efforts to suppress political dissent, interfere with foreign elections, and thwart independent media coverage of his regime, Trump went on to express admiration for the Russian leader, claiming that “Putin has done extremely well, relatively speaking, in Russia”.
On the other hand, while the US President expressed disapproval of American government practices, he generally spoke positively of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has long been credited with undermining the nation’s democracy through a series of questionable measures.
Trump praised the Hungarian leader for his “tremendous success”, and specifically highlighted his firm stance on immigration and border control policies. This view was also harshly disputed by the US Ambassador to Hungary David Cornstein, who argued that Orban’s “autocratic rule” was anything but positive for his country and the region.
Though Trump’s remarks about Putin and Orban could be interpreted in multiple ways, his alignment with these autocrats casts a substantial shadow of doubt on his commitment to American principles of democracy and human rights. As President of the United States, it is arguably his duty to stand up for the rights of citizens to enjoy free and fair elections and to ensure press freedom, no matter the cost.
By making his controversial comments, Trump has effectively eroded the reputation of the United States as a leader of the free world and sent a strong message to others that he is willing to condone repressive regimes in order to protect his political agenda.
