Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with former US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Friday. According to Bertalan Havasi, spokesman for the head of government, they spoke for an hour.
They were accompanied by their close associates, the spokesperson said. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártóalso accompanied the Prime Minister to Florida, among others.
💐 A true gentleman, the Hungarian Prime Minister presented a bouquet of flowers to Melania Trump.
Trump expressed great appreciation for the Hungarian prime minister. “There is no one better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orban. He’s fantastic…He’s a… pic.twitter.com/aD922LlufP
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) March 9, 2024
“After the meeting, the program continued with a joint dinner and concert,” Havasi told news agency MTI.
Donald and Melania Trump greeted Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban together at a Mar-A-Lago dinner reception. pic.twitter.com/XHHDGy3ER7
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) March 9, 2024
The spokesperson did not reveal what topics Orban and Trump discussed, but before the trip to the US, Hungarian officials said they would discuss the situation in Ukraine and US-Hungarian relations.
Donald Trump with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán tonight at Mar-a-Lago.
Orbán does not plan to meet Joe Biden during his visit to the United States. pic.twitter.com/cMDkSdH6Dp
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) March 9, 2024
The Hungarian government has made no secret of its belief that Trump would win the November elections and return to the White House. It joins the former US president’s hopes for the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict and the improvement of bilateral relations.
President Trump 🤝 Prime Minister Orbán pic.twitter.com/RPnDgd1HyR
— Team Trump (TEXT TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) March 9, 2024
During this trip to the United States, Orban visited Washington, DC on March 7, where he gave a speech to the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. A meeting with US President Joe Biden was not on his agenda; Orban came to the US not at Biden’s invitation, but to meet again with his political opponent and likely rival in the November elections. Experts consider the situation almost unprecedented for a NATO ally.
This was Orban’s third meeting with Trump, who once hosted the Hungarian Prime Minister at the White House. The Hungarian prime minister has never met Biden in person since he took office in January 2021, and relations between the two are considered tense. The Biden administration disapproves of the Hungarian government’s position on a number of international issues, including the Ukraine crisis. Orban, in turn, chose to discuss politics with Biden’s fiercest critic and political opponent.