BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) 鈥 Hungary's populist prime minister, Viktor Orban, tweeted a message of support for former U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, urging him to 鈥渒eep on fighting鈥 as he faces a criminal indictment for making hush payments during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Orban's post on Twitter featured a photograph of the two men smiling and shaking hands during a meeting at Trump's Bedminster, New Jersey, estate last August. The far-right Hungarian leader had traveled to the United States to , or CPAC, in Texas.
鈥淜eep on fighting, Mr. President! We are with you,鈥 Orban wrote in the tweet on Monday.
Trump's on Friday was a historic reckoning after years of investigations into his personal, political and business dealings, and an abrupt jolt to his bid to retake the White House.
The exact nature of the charges against him is unclear because the indictment remains under seal, but they stem from payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter.
Trump is expected to surrender to authorities this week in the first criminal case ever brought against a former U.S. president, but has denied any wrongdoing.
Orban, accused by his critics of dismantling many of Hungary's democratic institutions and overseeing a widespread network of official corruption, was the first European national leader to publicly endorse Trump鈥檚 presidential candidacy in 2016, and for Trump's 2020 campaign as well.
As Orban sought a fourth-straight term as prime minister last year, Trump praised him as a 鈥渟trong leader鈥 who 鈥渢ruly loves his country,鈥 and lauded his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.
鈥淗e has my complete support and endorsement for re-election as Prime Minister!鈥 Trump in January 2022.
Hungary's government has sought closer relations with elements of the U.S. right-wing, and last year .
