Trump hosts hard-line Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán at Mar-a-Lago

Former President Donald Trump on Friday met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at Mar-a-Lago, drawing a swift rebuke from President Joe Biden on the campaign trail.

In a readout of the meeting, the Trump campaign said that the two “met today at Mar-a-Lago to discuss a wide range of issues affecting Hungary and the United States, including the paramount importance of strong and secure borders to protect the sovereignty of each nation.” The campaign also shared photos of the meeting.

Orbán, who has sought to turn his country into an “illiberal state” while resisting the expansion of NATO and additional aid to Ukraine, has faced criticism for efforts at undermining democracy in Hungary by weakening the judiciary and stifling independent media. He has also forged close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Biden was sharply critical of Trump's meeting with Orbán during remarks at a campaign reception in Pennsylvania where he hammered home his message that the November election is about freedom and democracy.

“You know who he’s meeting with today and — down in Mar-a-Lago? Orbán of Hungary, who stated flatly he doesn’t think democracy works,” Biden said.

“I see a future where we defend democracy, not diminish it,” he added.

Orbán, who has been prime minister since 2010, posted videos on his Instagram account Friday where he appeared with Trump and former first lady Melania Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

A day earlier, Orbán visited the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, for an event that was closed to the press. In a post to X after his appearance there, he wrote: “Supporting families, fighting illegal migration and standing up for the sovereignty of our nations. This is the common ground for