United States President Donald Trump has used his social media platform to back fellow right-wing leader Viktor Orban before Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary elections.Trump’s endorsement came in a Truth Social post on Thursday, where he praised Orban as a “truly strong and powerful leader”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“He fights tirelessly for, and loves, his Great Country and People, just like I do for the United States of America,” Trump said.Drawing parallels between himself and Orban, Trump explained they both pursued efforts to “Stop Illegal Immigration” and “Ensure LAW AND ORDER”.“Relations between Hungary and the United States have reached new heights of cooperation and spectacular achievement under my Administration, thanks largely to Prime Minister Orban,” Trump wrote.“I was proud to ENDORSE Viktor for Re-Election in 2022, and am honored to do so again.”Slipping popularityOrban has had the longest term of any prime minister in Hungary’s history, first taking up the role from 1998 to 2002 and then resuming the prime minister’s seat from 2010 through the present.But his party, the far-right Fidesz alliance, faces hurdles in keeping control of Hungary’s parliament in the upcoming April 12 election.A poll released on February 3 from the research firm 21 Kutatokozpon found that the centre-right Tisza party had a seven-point lead over Fidesz.Among respondents surveyed over the past month, Tisza obtained 35 percent support, compared with 28 percent for Fidesz.Some of the slump in Orban’s popularity has been credited to a sputtering economy and disillusionment with the prime …
