‘America first’ meets ‘Hungary first’, but White House wary of love fest

Donald Trump will host Viktor Orban on Monday, the first time a Hungarian leader has visited the White House since 2005.

But advisers are cautioning Trump against a full embrace of his counterpart, despite the president’s own affinity for the leader

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives for the informal meeting of European Union leaders in Romania. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:16am, 13 May 2019Updated: 10:16am, 13 May 2019

When Donald Trump became president, Europe’s fiercest anti-immigration leader saw an opportunity to garner international legitimacy for his policies.

But for over two years, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – the only European Union government head to endorse Trump’s campaign during the 2016 election – failed to get an invitation to visit the White House, despite Trump hosting numerous other European leaders. With no White House visit coming, the Hungarian government lobbied its case to lawmakers, the State Department and the White House. And changes in leadership at the State Department started opening some doors for the Hungarian government.

Finally, on Monday, Trump will host Orban in the White House, the first time a Hungarian prime minister has visited the White House since 2005.

The visit “clearly raises his profile,” said former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who has met Orban and his top aides several times.

A man walks by an anti-migration billboard from the Hungarian government of Viktor Orban, on a street in Budapest, Hungary. Photo: AP

“The Obama administration and the State Department completely shut out Orban. He’s an individual who Trump has tracked very closely,” he added.