Kamala Harris and live, unscripted appearances are two things that do not really go well together. The current Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate in the upcoming 5 November election has given several interviews and made multiple live appearances in recent days, after which her popularity has once again declined. This comes as little surprise, especially when examining her recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in more detail.
When the host mentioned former President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s close relationships with leaders such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Harris interjected, referring to them as: ‘Dictators, authoritarians, and people who have been well described as murderers.’
Let that sink in. It is already outrageous for a presidential candidate to label the leaders of two global powers—Russia and China—as murderers and dictators, especially considering that, if elected, they would likely need to engage in talks with these leaders multiple times to help restore global peace. However, to use such a term for Hungary’s prime minister, who has been democratically elected several times, is utterly nonsensical. Unfortunately, this kind of rhetoric is neither surprising nor uncommon within the Democratic Party.
Why would Harris act differently when she hears similar statements from her own president, Joe Biden? As reported by Hungarian Conservative, Biden made comparable remarks about Viktor Orbán in March, following the Hungarian prime minister’s visit to Donald Trump’s Florida estate. ‘You know who he’s [Trump] meeting with today down at Mar-a-Lago? Orbán of Hungary, who stated flatly he doesn’t think democracy works, he’s looking for dictatorship. That’s who he’s meeting with.’
‘This kind of rhetoric is neither surprising nor uncommon within the Democratic Party’
Following Biden’s remarks, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó summoned US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, demanding an explanation. Szijjártó stated that the official US position, which implies that Hungary is establishing a dictatorship, significantly undermines bilateral relations.
Hungary’s relations with the United States have deteriorated significantly since the Democratic administration, led by Joe Biden, assumed power in the White House in 2021. Ambassador David Pressman consistently criticizes the Hungarian government, interferes in Hungary’s internal affairs, and aligns himself with the usual left-wing narrative in his attacks on PM Viktor Orbán. Relations reached an unprecedented low point last April following Pressman’s announcement that Washington had placed Imre Laszlóczki, then Vice-President of the International Investment Bank, on a sanctions list.
Harris’s statement indicates that relations between the two countries would remain as strained as they are now—if not worse—should she win the presidency. His running mate, Tim Walz, made a similar reference about Viktor Orbán in an earlier interview with Fox News, where the far-left politician remarked: ‘A foreign policy that respects our alliances—not cozying up to dictators like [Vladimir] Putin and Orbán—is the way to go.’
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