As President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration approaches, speculation about which foreign leaders might attend is intensifying—mainly among those ignorant of American political traditions. Among them is the Orbán-obsessed, Hungarophobic German Green MEP Daniel Freund.
Freund has become infamous for his deranged fixation on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. This is no exaggeration: the German MEP is one of the many progressives whose entire political ‘oeuvre’ revolves around vilifying Orbán and attacking Hungary at every turn. His X account is practically a shrine dedicated to his obsession—don’t take my word for it, see for yourself.
Freund’s latest outlandish delusion is that the relationship between Trump and Orbán isn’t as strong as it seems because, according to him, the Hungarian prime minister hasn’t received an invitation to Trump’s inauguration. Freund has posted about this twice in 4 hours, demonstrating his desperation to spin a non-issue into a narrative.
However, his theory is riddled with errors. First, US presidential inaugurations are not typically attended by foreign leaders. In fact, according to historical records from the US State Department, no foreign leader has ever made an official visit to attend a presidential inauguration. Instead, diplomats, envoys, ambassadors, and representatives of political parties and movements are usually present.
That said, Trump is no ordinary politician. He has a penchant for making unconventional and headline-grabbing decisions, even when it comes to ceremonial events. Who could forget when he hosted the national college football champion Clemson Tigers at the White House in 2019 and served them a fast food feast? If anyone could break with tradition, it would be Trump.
‘According to historical records from the US State Department, no foreign leader has ever made an official visit to attend a presidential inauguration’
The President-elect floated the idea of inviting foreign leaders to his inauguration in December last year. Although this was never officially confirmed, a list of potential foreign leaders who might attend began circulating in the media.
And this brings us to the second glaring flaw in Freund’s theory: every single list published by international media outlets includes Viktor Orbán as one of the foreign leaders invited. And we’re not talking about conservative or right-wing publications; even the most progressive outlets, like POLITICO, have reported Orbán’s inclusion. ‘Also invited: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin who is known as the “bad boy” of European politics,’ POLITICO wrote just today.
Zoltán Kovács, Hungarian State Secretary for International Communication and Relations, addressed the ongoing speculation in a detailed post on X yesterday, stating: ‘Shutting down the circus: no Hungarian government official—or any foreign leader—received an “official” invitation.’ He clarified that Orbán will instead attend a conference evaluating Hungary’s EU presidency on the day of the inauguration.
As per tradition, European representation at the inauguration will consist of European Parliament political group leaders and party heads. European Conservatives and Reformists’ newly elected president, former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, and French right-wing publicist and politician Éric Zemmour are expected to attend on Monday. Among members of the European Parliament, French ECR lawmaker Marion Maréchal and Sarah Knafo of the Europe of Sovereign Nations group are also slated to be present in Washington.
That being said, the real question is not why Orbán won’t be in Washington on Monday. The more striking question is why European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen—whom Mr Freund loves to collaborate with on making life difficult for Hungary—also didn’t make the cut for the inauguration. What does her absence signal about the future of US–EU cooperation in the years to come? I think we all, even Mr Freund, know the answer.
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