Despite Trump’s embrace of Orbán, Senate Republicans sound alarms over Hungary’s democratic backsliding

By Morgan Rimmer, CNN

Washington (CNN) — If there is one area where senior Senate Republicans have chosen to break with former President Donald Trump, it is his embrace of Hungary’s far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

While some members of the GOP have followed Trump’s lead, including those who attended the Conservative Political Action Conference’s third annual meeting in Budapest this year, several powerful Republican senators have been quick to denounce Hungary’s actions on the world stage.

Most recently, five of these senators – including Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a candidate for GOP leader – visited Hungary last week, with Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas releasing a statement expressing the delegation’s concern with Hungary’s democratic backsliding, as well as its close ties to Russia and China.

“Our delegation and many of our congressional colleagues are increasingly concerned by Hungary’s deepening and expanding relationship with Russia and the continued erosion of its democratic institutions,” Moran said in the statement.

He added, “Hungary also continues to disregard the concerns raised by its allies and partners about deepening its ties with China. It is in our shared interest for our countries to work closely together. We urge Hungary to listen to the concerns of its allies and to act on them.”

Moran and Cornyn were joined by the top Senate Republican appropriator, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, as well as Sens. John Hoeven of North Dakota and John Boozman of Arkansas.

Orbán has successfully centralized power throughout his 14 years as prime minister, much to the chagrin of his critics and the European Union. In 2022, the European Parliament voted that Hungary can no longer be considered a true democracy, and the chamber has decried Orbán’s introduction of anti-LGBTQ laws, his expanded control over the judiciary and his so-called “peace missions” to Russia and China, amid the war in Ukraine.

Orbán has endorsed Trump, and Trump has touted the prime minister’s backing, even noting it during September’s presidential debate. The former president also hosted Orbán at Mar-a-Lago in March.

“There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orbán. He’s fantastic,” said Trump at the time.

The Senate’s most powerful Republican, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, has pushed back on the far-right’s embrace of Orbán, and is ratcheting up his criticism as he prepares to step down from leadership. The Kentucky Republican has said that he wants to focus on fighting the isolationist strain on the right after he leaves the top job.

“I’ve spoken about Hungary’s drift into the orbit of the West’s most determined adversaries. It’s an alarming trend and nobody, certainly not the American conservatives who increasingly form a cult of personality around Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, can pretend not to see it,” McConnell declared on the Senate floor in September.

“There’s nothing tough about bowing to autocrats and there’s nothing for America’s leaders to gain by praising those who do,” he continued. “Subservience is not an American value, but far more importantly, it is not in America’s interest.”

When he was president, Trump had tense relationships with several traditional US allies, such as Germany and France, in part due to his criticism of NATO and his isolationist rhetoric. His more recent refusal to back a Ukrainian victory after Russia’s invasion has continued to rankle European allies. Some GOP senators, like Josh Hawley of Missouri, have followed his lead, insisting that Europe take care of its own backyard and allow the US to focus on countering Chinese influence in the Pacific.

Other Republicans have joined Trump in his praise for Orbán. Kari Lake, a Republican running for Arizona’s open Senate seat, attended the Conservative Political Action Conference’s third annual meeting in Budapest this year, where she said meeting with Orbán “changed my life.” GOP Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, the newly elected chair of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, and Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona have both praised Orbán’s leadership and argued that the U.S. should see Hungary as a “model” for conservative governance.

Back in July, McConnell stated, “Republicans in Washington who fashion themselves both ‘national conservatives’ and China hawks should pay more attention to Mr. Orban’s actions and ask themselves if they are consistent with America’s interests.”

One GOP leadership aide told CNN that McConnell has “made a very conscious effort to reassure allies that Republicans are not all isolationists, and that it’s a loud contingent of the party, but there are still a strong majority of Reagan Republicans in the House and Senate.”

Other Republican senators have focused on reiterating the US’ commitment to its NATO allies, despite Trump – and Orbán’s – rhetoric. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina restarted the U.S. Senate NATO Observer Group in 2018, co-chairing the group alongside Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.

Both senators were snubbed in February when they visited Hungary to push for approval for Sweden’s accession into NATO, only for government officials to refuse to meet with them. This led Tillis and Shaheen to introduce a Senate resolution condemning Hungary’s democratic backsliding and its delay in allowing Sweden to join the alliance. That same week, Hungary finally acquiesced and approved Sweden’s request.

“Hungary is a valued NATO ally, and it is absolutely essential that they maintain their commitment to the democratic values that all NATO countries share,” Tillis said at the time.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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