Orban’s playbook

In 2019, Marco Rubio, then a senator from Florida, warned of the erosion of democracy in Hungary. In a letter to President Trump, he spoke of the “steady corrosion of freedom, the rule of law and the quality of governance.” He went on to state that “under Viktor Orban the election process has become less competitive and the judiciary is increasingly controlled by the state.”

Orban and his administration are criticized for dismantling democratic institutions, tightening control over the press, forcing media ownership into the hands of allies and pushing the “Great Replacement” theory.

Last month Rubio was in Budapest to “enthusiastically endorse” Orban for a fifth term as president. What has changed in Hungary? Nothing. What has changed with Rubio? He is Trump’s secretary of state.

It’s no secret that Donald Trump is a big fan of Viktor Orban and his political success in Hungary, calling him “a truly strong and powerful leader,” and that he is “proud to endorse Viktor for reelection.”

Where did Orban get his political playbook? From Vladimir Putin.

Tim Companey

Downers Grove