Shortly after last month’s presidential election, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán phoned Donald Trump to congratulate him on his victory. The following article features excerpts from an interview about Hungary with Jeffrey D. Gordon, a foreign policy advisor to the president-elect.
The piece is a summary published at magyaridok.hu of a longer interview on many topics at mandiner.hu.
Many thanks to CrossWare for the translation:
Trump Adviser: Viktor Orbán is a Great Leader, One of the Best in the World
Donald Trump’s campaign team has deep admiration and respect for the Hungarian Prime Minister, said Jeffrey D. Gordon, a campaign adviser for the newly-elected US President, who was interviewed by András Stumpf. He had this to say: Viktor Orbán stands on the ground of common sense, and now new chapter will begin in the US-Hungarian relations.
- Trump’s campaign team knew immediately about his speech in Tusványos, and Trump heard about it too.
- The advisor believes the solution for the migrant crisis is the path the Hungarian Prime Minister already suggested.
- A new chapter will open in American-Hungarian relations.
András Stumpf: Viktor Orbán said it first, last summer: Trump would be better for Europe. Does it matter right now in Washington — or is all the same — what the government of a country of only ten million says?
Jeffrey D. Gordon is an American foreign policy and communications consultant who is active in a number of American media outlets as an expert, an advisor to several senior politicians, and was a Pentagon spokesman for four years. In February he joined the staff of Donald Trump’s campaign.
Jeffrey D. Gordon: A friend of mine sent me those sentences from Viktor Orbán about Donald Trump in the summer. It felt incredibly good to read those lines!
Feel free to say Mr. Trump’s team has a deep admiration and respect for Viktor Orbán. Donald Trump knew about the statement. Last week they talked on the phone.
Q: It is true that Trump will invite Orbán to Washington? This is not yet confirmed from the American side.
A: If Viktor Orbán said it, feel free to take it to the bank. […]
Q: What would the EU do in this situation? (Such as the migration crisis — editor)
A: What the EU should do is return the migrants to Libya’s shores. Not to Italian island of Lampedusa.
Q: This is exactly what Orbán said!
A: I know, among other things, which is why he is one of my favorite leaders. Donald Trump believes the same.
Orbán is a courageous leader who stands on the ground of common sense.
And the world will wake up, and it will come to the realization that he and Mr. Trump were right. Things are going in this direction. The way Europe managed the migration crisis was a disaster. This must change. […]
Orbán’s idea seems viable: to set up camps for one, two or three million refugees in Libya, as suggested by the Hungarian Prime Minister, who came up with the idea of managing illegal immigration on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea.
Q: The US will stop exporting democracy?
A: We will definitely stop! We tried in Iraq and it was a disaster. We saw what happened in Egypt too! Democracy cannot be exported like consumer goods.
Q: They will no longer tell us how to behave in Hungary? This tendency will also end?
A: Yes. We begin a new chapter in the US-Hungarian relations, and it was high time for it to happen.
We see Viktor Orbán as a great leader, one of the best in the world.
He stands on common-sense ground. We truly respect that. There is nothing wrong when a Prime Minister of Hungary has his own nation as his highest priority. We want to make America great again. And this means: We’re going to make the American-Hungarian relationship great again, too!
Obviously it is a good news if Trump advisor(s) like Viktor, that means probably Mr Trump will like him. After all Orban executed a real Trumpian economical program in the last 5 years in Hungary. He worked tirelessly to open trade negotiations with China, India, Russia and any other nation outside of the EU. His party took back the control of the Hungarian central bank (they kicked out IMF with their shady loans), brought larger employment by bringing and keeping jobs in Hungary and he BUILT A WALL (ok it is fence but still!).
I think Trump and Orban will have a very good relationship. President elect Trump looks like a person who like efficiency and the ability to make grounded decisions. Orbán demonstrated his abilities plenty already.
Orban and Trump are both practical, astute men and share an innovative, political imagination! Thank the Lord! We’ve been given a breather from the Left steam-roller, which seems out of control as it plummets downhill having over shot the mark as it lunged at Trump. At the last moment he simply stepped to one side.
But I hear Hillary screaming as claws her way up for the recount.
Hillary gained one (1) vote in the first day of the recount in Wisconsin. A reporter said, at that rate, she would catch Trump in 74 years!
Orban IS a great leader. We need many, many more men and women cut from the same cloth to be in positions of leadership throughout the west.
Orban is the most corrupt, thief leader of the Hungarian history.
Maybe is good for the Trump but it’s the worst thing to Hungary.
40% of Hungarian people living in poverty.
Million young Hungarian had to leave Hungary because of the poverty and unemployment.
Meanwhile Orban and the Fidesz mafia are robbed down the country and build up an oligarchy power.
I consider Mr.Orban a national hero who loves his country,and will make history if he will listen to “the people voice “he did not forgot the
Otoman impire ” who was fighting with people from Balkan countries for centuries .Merry Christmas .
Boldog uj evet!
Mihai
VIKTOR ORBAN WILL SAVE EUROPE.