Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, considered an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, says he has "big plans" with President-elect Donald Trump after the Republican completed his political comeback on Tuesday.
While Orbán has often been criticized as authoritarian, Trump has praised him for being "a great man" who some dislike because he is "too strong." During his September 10 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump argued that Orbán was one of the "most respected men" in the world.
Last week, CBS News reported that Orbán had been working behind the scenes to help get Trump reelected and speculated that mutual admiration between the leaders "could become a defining foreign policy relationship for a second Trump term."
On Wednesday, just hours after Trump defeated Harris to win a second term in the White House, Orbán said that he had already spoken to the president-elect and was expecting to chart the course of "the future" alongside Trump.
"Mar-a-Lago calling," Orbán wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Just had my first phone conversation with President @realDonaldTrump since the elections. We have big plans for the future!"
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is available.
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Aila Slisco
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ...
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