U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the White House Oval Office in Washington, D.C. on May 13, 2019. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Jan 03, 2022
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders rebuked former President Donald Trump Monday after the frequent admirer of dictators endorsed the reelection of Hungarian President Viktor Orban, under whose administration Hungary's generation-old democracy has been severely eroded.
"Trump wants to do here what Orban has done in Hungary: weaken democratic institutions, curb press freedom, and rewrite election laws to entrench his own party's power," Sanders (I-Vt.) tweeted. "The threat to our democracy could not be clearer, and we must act boldly to protect it."
According to Amnesty International, under Orban, "the government continued to undermine judicial independence and public confidence in the judiciary," while "women and transgender people were discriminated against in law and in practice" and "asylum-seekers were refused safe entry at borders and were expelled."
Furthermore, Amnesty said that "changes to laws to contain Covid-19 restricted freedom of expression and peaceful assembly."
\u201cTrump wants to do here what Orban has done in Hungary: weaken democratic institutions, curb press freedom, and rewrite election laws to entrench his own party\u2019s power. The threat to our democracy could not be clearer, and we must act boldly to protect it.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1641243292
The New York Timesreports:
Mr. Orban and his party have steadily consolidated power in Hungary by weakening the country's independent and democratic institutions--rewriting election laws to favor his Fidesz party, changing school textbooks, curbing press freedoms, overhauling the constitution, and changing the composition of the judiciary.
The actions have caused consternation in the European Union, to which Hungary belongs, but also made Mr. Orban something of a cause celebre in conservative American political circles... Last fall, Tucker Carlson, the top-rated Fox News host, broadcast from Budapest for a week, calling the nation a place 'with a lot of lessons for the rest of us.' Former Vice President Mike Pence visited Hungary last year for a conference on conservative values. And the American Conservative Union has been promoting plans for a gathering there, dubbed #CPACHungary, later this year.
The Hungarian leader endeared himself to Trump by endorsing him relatively early in the 2016 U.S. presidential contest. Trump returned the favor by hosting Orban at the White House in 2019.
\u201cDonald Trump just endorsed Viktor Orban. Orban is an anti-Semitic, racist, authoritarian despot who has crushed democratic institutions in Hungary, attacked the free press, and politicized rule of law. No wonder Trump likes him.\u201d— Brian Klaas (@Brian Klaas) 1641226474
Orban is just the second foreign leader endorsed by Trump since he left the White House; the other is Brazil's right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro. That endorsement came just hours after the Brazilian Senate recommended criminal charges against Bolsonaro for his mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders rebuked former President Donald Trump Monday after the frequent admirer of dictators endorsed the reelection of Hungarian President Viktor Orban, under whose administration Hungary's generation-old democracy has been severely eroded.
"Trump wants to do here what Orban has done in Hungary: weaken democratic institutions, curb press freedom, and rewrite election laws to entrench his own party's power," Sanders (I-Vt.) tweeted. "The threat to our democracy could not be clearer, and we must act boldly to protect it."
According to Amnesty International, under Orban, "the government continued to undermine judicial independence and public confidence in the judiciary," while "women and transgender people were discriminated against in law and in practice" and "asylum-seekers were refused safe entry at borders and were expelled."
Furthermore, Amnesty said that "changes to laws to contain Covid-19 restricted freedom of expression and peaceful assembly."
\u201cTrump wants to do here what Orban has done in Hungary: weaken democratic institutions, curb press freedom, and rewrite election laws to entrench his own party\u2019s power. The threat to our democracy could not be clearer, and we must act boldly to protect it.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1641243292
The New York Timesreports:
Mr. Orban and his party have steadily consolidated power in Hungary by weakening the country's independent and democratic institutions--rewriting election laws to favor his Fidesz party, changing school textbooks, curbing press freedoms, overhauling the constitution, and changing the composition of the judiciary.
The actions have caused consternation in the European Union, to which Hungary belongs, but also made Mr. Orban something of a cause celebre in conservative American political circles... Last fall, Tucker Carlson, the top-rated Fox News host, broadcast from Budapest for a week, calling the nation a place 'with a lot of lessons for the rest of us.' Former Vice President Mike Pence visited Hungary last year for a conference on conservative values. And the American Conservative Union has been promoting plans for a gathering there, dubbed #CPACHungary, later this year.
The Hungarian leader endeared himself to Trump by endorsing him relatively early in the 2016 U.S. presidential contest. Trump returned the favor by hosting Orban at the White House in 2019.
\u201cDonald Trump just endorsed Viktor Orban. Orban is an anti-Semitic, racist, authoritarian despot who has crushed democratic institutions in Hungary, attacked the free press, and politicized rule of law. No wonder Trump likes him.\u201d— Brian Klaas (@Brian Klaas) 1641226474
Orban is just the second foreign leader endorsed by Trump since he left the White House; the other is Brazil's right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro. That endorsement came just hours after the Brazilian Senate recommended criminal charges against Bolsonaro for his mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders rebuked former President Donald Trump Monday after the frequent admirer of dictators endorsed the reelection of Hungarian President Viktor Orban, under whose administration Hungary's generation-old democracy has been severely eroded.
"Trump wants to do here what Orban has done in Hungary: weaken democratic institutions, curb press freedom, and rewrite election laws to entrench his own party's power," Sanders (I-Vt.) tweeted. "The threat to our democracy could not be clearer, and we must act boldly to protect it."
According to Amnesty International, under Orban, "the government continued to undermine judicial independence and public confidence in the judiciary," while "women and transgender people were discriminated against in law and in practice" and "asylum-seekers were refused safe entry at borders and were expelled."
Furthermore, Amnesty said that "changes to laws to contain Covid-19 restricted freedom of expression and peaceful assembly."
\u201cTrump wants to do here what Orban has done in Hungary: weaken democratic institutions, curb press freedom, and rewrite election laws to entrench his own party\u2019s power. The threat to our democracy could not be clearer, and we must act boldly to protect it.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1641243292
The New York Timesreports:
Mr. Orban and his party have steadily consolidated power in Hungary by weakening the country's independent and democratic institutions--rewriting election laws to favor his Fidesz party, changing school textbooks, curbing press freedoms, overhauling the constitution, and changing the composition of the judiciary.
The actions have caused consternation in the European Union, to which Hungary belongs, but also made Mr. Orban something of a cause celebre in conservative American political circles... Last fall, Tucker Carlson, the top-rated Fox News host, broadcast from Budapest for a week, calling the nation a place 'with a lot of lessons for the rest of us.' Former Vice President Mike Pence visited Hungary last year for a conference on conservative values. And the American Conservative Union has been promoting plans for a gathering there, dubbed #CPACHungary, later this year.
The Hungarian leader endeared himself to Trump by endorsing him relatively early in the 2016 U.S. presidential contest. Trump returned the favor by hosting Orban at the White House in 2019.
\u201cDonald Trump just endorsed Viktor Orban. Orban is an anti-Semitic, racist, authoritarian despot who has crushed democratic institutions in Hungary, attacked the free press, and politicized rule of law. No wonder Trump likes him.\u201d— Brian Klaas (@Brian Klaas) 1641226474
Orban is just the second foreign leader endorsed by Trump since he left the White House; the other is Brazil's right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro. That endorsement came just hours after the Brazilian Senate recommended criminal charges against Bolsonaro for his mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.