A second Trump term could reorient American diplomacy toward authoritarian leaders.

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s hardline right-wing leader says Donald Trump’s victory will help his own fight against immigration and multiculturalism and restore traditional family values.

In Argentina, the president who once bear hug Trump, at a political conference in Maryland, attacks his critics as rats and vermin, rants against what he calls a corrupt elite and calls climate change a “socialist lie.”

According to both these leaders and outside observers, a second Trump term could reorient American diplomacy away from traditional international alliances and toward populist and authoritarian politicians.

Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban

Two days before Tuesday’s election, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made a bold prediction.

“Donald Trump will become president again, which means that by the end of the year, pro-peace political forces will be in the majority in the West,” Orban told state radio.

The European Union has accused Orban of burying Hungarian democracy by dominating the media and creating a network of loyal oligarchs. He has worried foreign leaders over his rapprochement with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

What Orbán calls “illiberal democracy” stigmatizes civil society organizations and suppresses LGBTQ+ rights. She advocates maintaining power, even if it means running counter to the interests of traditional Hungarian allies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Trump has avoided publicly criticizing Putin and has consistently spoken warmly of him.

“There is clearly a kind of authoritarian chemistry between them,” said Nigel Gould-Davies of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

That chemistry is consistent with Trump’s admiration for other authoritarian leaders, some of whom were elected by systems that were once democratic, Gould-Davis said, citing Hungary under Orban as an example.

Trump said he would end Russia’s war in Ukraine “within 24 hours.” The announcement is welcomed by the Kremlin, which currently holds battlefield advantage as well as approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory.

Moscow may be hoping Trump will sow dysfunction within NATO, given his demands for other alliance members to adhere to agreed levels of military spending and his warnings that Russia can “do whatever it wants” to those who fail.

Before the election, Gould-Davis noted that the Kremlin would welcome Trump’s victory because of his apparent desire to end the war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Russia. Putin and other authoritarian leaders will be encouraged by Trump’s reelection, which would mean “much less emphasis in American foreign policy on the importance and value of human rights,” Gould-Davis said.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of his country’s beloved and controversial political leaders. Under Modi, Hindu nationalism – once a fringe ideology in India – has become mainstream, and no one has done more to advance the cause than the 74-year-old leader.

Some critics say Modi’s policies have divided India, especially along religious lines. He was accused of using hate speech against the country’s Muslim minority, especially in the final stages of this year’s election campaign when he stepped up his rhetoric against them.

To his supporters, Modi is a political outsider who has broken the country’s history of dynastic politics. His rise was fueled in part by promises to overhaul India’s economy, as well as pro-Hindu policies that resonate widely in a country where 80% of the population is Hindu.

His critics say Modi has damaged democracy and threatened India’s secular fabric, while his attacks on the media and freedom of speech have intensified over more than a decade of his rule.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Like Trump, Erdogan projects an image of a force that prioritizes national interests and draws on populist ideas that cast him as a champion of ordinary people against elites.

The Biden administration is keeping Erdogan’s government at bay, but Trump and Erdogan maintain cordial relations. This is despite a number of disagreements between their countries, such as when the Trump administration kicked Turkey out of the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 over Ankara’s purchase of a Russian-made missile defense system.

Argentine President Javier Miley

The President of Argentina has bold style, like Trump, rebukes multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, and has undertaken dismissive approach to diplomacyneglecting meetings with leaders of traditional allies such as Brazil And Spain.

For many observers the most disturbing parallel includes Mili’s claims that last year’s presidential elections in Argentina were rigged against him. This, along with his attempts to downplay atrocities Argentina’s bloody military dictatorship from 1976-1983 raised concerns about its impact on democracy.

Miley congratulated Trump on his election victory on Wednesday, posting an image on Instagram of the two men hugging in front of their countries’ flags.

“You know you can count on Argentina to get the job done,” the caption reads. “Now Make America Great Again.”

Analysts say his cash-strapped government, desperate for support from the United States, the International Monetary Fund’s largest shareholder, was betting on a Trump victory. The Milea administration is hoping Trump can pressure the IMF to lend more money to Argentina, its biggest debtor.

The fund is weighing whether to lend Argentina more money that Milea’s libertarian government needs to fully reenter the world market and break free from currency controls. During Trump’s first term, the IMF provided Argentina, then led by conservative President Mauricio Macri, with a controversial $57 billion bailout.

Mariano Machado, chief Americas analyst at global risk analysis firm Verisk Maplecroft, said that while American institutions and the separation of powers are designed to prevent authoritarian rule, “Argentina is now returning to a phase where the very parameters of its institutions are under pressure.” ”

prime minister

Robert Fico from Slovakia

As a leftist, Fico used rhetoric similar to Trump’s.

Fico even compared the July assassination attempt on Trump to his own being wounded in a shooting in May.

“It’s an exact copy of the script,” Fico said. “Donald Trump’s political opponents are trying to put him in jail, and when they fail, they infuriate the public so much that some loser picks up a gun.”

Like Trump, Fico shows contempt for the mainstream media and has declared war on illegal immigration. Fico faces criminal charges of organized crime, which he says are politically motivated. Ultimately the case was dropped.

The Slovak leader condemned the West’s approach to the war in Ukraine and canceled arms supplies to Kyiv.

Fico, like Orban, is known for his pro-Russian views, opposes EU sanctions against Moscow and has said that he will block Ukraine’s accession to NATO.

___

Susan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, Isabelle DeBre in Buenos Aires, Krutika Pati in New Delhi and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed.