Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán criticizes U.S. political funding practices in social media statements.
A controversy has emerged in the United States following the disclosure by former President
Donald Trump regarding the funding of various organizations by the American government in recent years.
In a post on social media, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán sharply criticized the previous U.S. administration, asserting that it and what he termed the 'liberal global elite' have exploited U.S. taxpayer money for political purposes.
Former President Trump revealed the recipients and amounts of funding provided by different U.S. government agencies over the years in his statement, prompting a response from Orbán, who indicated that the leaked information demonstrated that a significant portion of American funds was used for political influence worldwide.
Orbán stated, 'The liberal global elite used the American budget and government as a means to finance their financial and ideological goals at the expense of Americans around the world.' He suggested that these funds often presented as 'aid' were, in fact, intended to promote political interests.
He further explained that the funding primarily came from two sources: the foundations of George Soros and directly from the official U.S. government budget.
Orbán claimed that the funds supported activities detrimental to societies, specifically bolstering left-leaning political aspirations.
In his social media post, he stated, 'They dressed it up as aid, but in reality, it was a tool for political manipulation.' According to Orbán, the support was not politically neutral and was exclusively channelled to organizations, media outlets, and civil initiatives affiliated with leftist political groups.
Orbán also asserted that these funds were directed toward specific themes aligned with leftist parties, including media, online communication, and civil organizations, thereby strengthening the opposition with the alleged goal of undermining national governments.
He claimed that Hungary has also been targeted, and that the funding aimed to empower opposition parties to weaken the national government.
'They aimed to strengthen the opposition parties and overthrow the Hungarian government,' he summarized in the post.
These statements by Orbán reflect ongoing tensions regarding international political funding and its implications for national governance.
The comments come amid broader discussions about the influence of foreign entities on domestic political processes globally.