Trump touts European 'strongman' as close ally during presidential debate: Who is Viktor Orban?

Former President Trump touted his foreign policy credentials during Tuesday night’s presidential debate, name-checking the strong relationships he built with leaders of rival nations and allies alike during his term, most notably Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the "strongman" of Europe.

"He’s a tough person, smart prime minister of Hungary," Trump said, adding that Orban insisted "you need Trump back as president" because "they were afraid of him."

"China was afraid, and I don’t like to use the word afraid, but I’m just quoting him," Trump said. "China was afraid of him. He said Russia was afraid of him."

"Look, Viktor Orban said it: He said the most respected, most feared person is Donald Trump. We had no problems when Trump was president," Trump added.

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Trump also responded to Vice President Harris’ claim that he "admires dictators, wants to be a dictator on day one" and he "exchanged love letters with Kim Jong Un" by noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin had endorsed her last week and said he hoped she wins "because what he’s gotten away with is absolutely incredible."

Trump said Russia's invasion of Ukraine would never have happened during his time in office, noting that he knew Putin "very well."

Trump then blasted Biden for how he hurt the XL pipeline and handed Russia a win with "the biggest pipeline in the world" running into Germany and Europe as a whole.

Trump has repeatedly compared his foreign policy record to that of the Biden administration, roping in Harris as part of that policy, and noted the more interventionist approach he took, using force as deterrence against Iran and meeting with Putin and