Biden is said that the president does not plan to meet with him.
Speech of the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, Texas, one of the nation's largest gatherings of conservative activists, raised concerns that Republicans are backing an autocrat criticized for undermining democratic institutions and empowering authors power in his own country, reports AP NEWS.
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Among other speakers at the conference was former US President Donald Trump .
Orbán's invitation to the conference reflects American conservatives' recognition of the Hungarian far-right leader, whose country has a hard-line anti-immigration and anti-LGBT rights policy and is governed by a one-party government. Orban is also considered Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally in the EU.
His visit to Texas came after a wave of outrage at home over a speech in which Orban spoke out against the transformation Europe on a society of “mixed races”.
In a speech to American conservatives, Orbán dismissed the criticism, saying his government would not tolerate racism. The organizers of the conference praised him for opposing the EU.
During this meeting, Orbán called Hungary “a bastion of conservative Christian values in Europe” and called on conservatives in the US to defeat “the dominance of progressive liberals in public life”.
< p>He called himself a defender of what he calls “illiberal democracy”.
Even before Orban took the stage in Texas, the second most populous state in the US, which is politically controlled by Republicans, Trump already hosted him in Florida.
“Few people know as much about what is happening in the world today,” Trump said in a statement after the meeting.
According to a White House spokesman, President Joe Biden does not plan to speak with Orbán during his trip to the United States.
Orbán served as Hungary's prime minister from 1998 to 2002, but it was his actions after taking office in 2010 that sparked controversy and fears that Hungary was slipping into authoritarian rule. Orbán portrays himself as the defender of European Christianity against Muslim migrants, progressives and the “LGBT lobby”.
Orbán has consolidated power over the country's judiciary and media, and his party has carved up legislative constituencies in such a way that opposition parties have a very it is difficult to get seats in the parliament
Such steps have forced international political observers to call Orban the face of a new wave of authoritarianism.
Read also: These days, Ukraine is at the forefront of the struggle between democracy and authoritarianism – Biden
The European Union has launched multiple legal proceedings against Hungary for violating EU rules and is blocking billions in recovery funds and credit programs due to Hungary's violations of rule of law standards and insufficient anti-corruption safeguards.
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