Former US President Donald Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán “the president of Turkey” at a campaign rally in New Hampshire. He said Orbán is one of the “best leaders in the world,” he writes News.ro.

Donald TrumpPhoto: Rebecca Blackwell/AP/Profimedia

“There’s a lot going on in this exploding world right now. I had a great honor (to meet him). There is such a person, Viktor Orban. Do you know him? He is truly one of the best leaders in the world, the most powerful. He is the president of Turkey,” said Donald Trump.

The former Republican president also mentioned Viktor Orbán’s country’s “border” with Russia, although neither Turkey nor Hungary have a land border with the country led by Vladimir Putin.

Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump met in 2019 during Orbán’s visit to the White House. In fact, the Prime Minister of Hungary supported Trump in the 2016 election campaign.

Viktor Orbán is under the crosshairs of the European Commission (EC) for numerous violations of the rule of law – among others, violations of the independence of the judicial system, the actions of non-governmental organizations, corruption at the highest level and anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender laws. Several legal proceedings are being analyzed by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).