In this file photo taken on May 13, 2019 Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban listens while US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC.InternationalIndiaAfricaLast week, Donald Trump became the first former president in US history to be brought up on criminal charges. The charges reportedly center on the illegal use of campaign funds to make a hush money payment to a porn star. Trump has vociferously denied any wrongdoing, insisting the charges are part of a wider political “witch hunt” against him.Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed his support for Donald Trump on Monday, tweeting an image of the two men shaking hands and accompanying the photo with the words “Keep on fighting, Mr. President! We are with you, @realDonaldTrump.”
After my first day on Twitter, there’s one question on my mind. Where is my good friend, @realDonaldTrump? pic.twitter.com/vCzWfAy2sh
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) October 11, 2022
Trump’s Twitter account was restored after a nearly two-year-long permaban was lifted by new Twitter boss Elon Musk in November, but Trump has yet to post, preferring his own platform – Truth Social.Orban has used his Twitter presence to post a series of mostly English-language messages addressed to international audiences, including Hungary’s position on the conflict in Ukraine, photos from meetings with European leaders, and Budapest’s viewpoints at EU venues.Monday’s tweet earned Orban praise from Trump’s supporters, but sparked outrage among liberals and Trump-haters, who castigated the Hungarian leader and Trump as “bad people” and “two Russophile homophobic racist hate spreaders grinning at the world.”Americas’Trumped-Up’ Charges Against Former US President ‘Embarrassing’ to US3 April, 13:35 GMTOrban’s show of support comes a day before Trump’s expected arraignment at a New York court on about three dozen federal charges related to the alleged illegal payment of hush money to Stormy Daniels, an ex-porn star, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.Trump has denied any wrongdoing, called his accuser a “horseface,” accused her of extortion, and charged the New York district attorney of going after him to try to knock him out of the 2024 race on false pretenses, similar to Russiagate or his twin failed impeachments. The former president has vowed to fight the charges. He is expected to give public remarks on the case from his Mar-a-Lago estate hours after his arraignment.
AmericasNew York Police Step Up Security at Manhattan Court Ahead of Trump Arraignment3 April, 17:57 GMT