Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban endorses Trump and denounces the 'moral imperialism' of the Democrats

• Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has endorsed Trump's re-election bid.
• He wrote in a pro-government newspaper that he wanted Trump to defeat the 'moral imperialism' of the Democrats.
• Trump last year complimented Orban's tough stance on immigration and said he was "respected all over Europe."
• Western politicians and human rights groups have condemned Orban for eroding Hungary's democracy.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has endorsed President Trump's bid for re-election, writing in a pro-government newspaper that he wanted him to defeat the "moral imperialism" of the Democrats.

In an essay published in Magyar Nemzet, Prime Minister Orban said that he was rooting for Trump in his attempt to defeat Joe Biden at the November presidential election, Reuters reported.

"We root for Donald Trump's victory, because we know well American Democratic governments' diplomacy, built on moral imperialism. We have been forced to sample it before, we did not like it, we do not want seconds," he wrote.

Trump complimented Orban when the controversial leader visited the White House last year, describing him as "respected all over Europe" and praising his tough approach to immigration.

"I know he's a tough man, but he's a respected man, and he's done the right thing, according to many people, on immigration," he said.

Orban during his visit said that Hungary was "proud to stand together" with the US "on fighting illegal migration, on terrorism and protecting Christian communities all around the world."

First elected as Hungarian prime minister in 2010, Orban has been condemned by western politicians for moving Hungary towards autocratic rule through moves to curtail the media, judiciary, and human rights.

US-based human rights watchdog Freedom House earlier this year said that Hungary "today can no longer be regarded as a democracy" and that Orban's regime had "dropped any pretense of respecting democratic institutions."

In March, members of the European Parliament said legislation passed by the Hungarian parliament allowing Orban to rule without time limits was incompatible with its membership of the European Union. The legislation also gave Orban's government the power to imprison people for spreading disinformation about the coronavirus, prompting fears that it would be used against critics of his government's approach.

Looking ahead to Hungary's 2022 election, Orban in his essay wrote that it would be a "decisive battle" between social conservatives like him and his supporters and what he described as an international liberal elite.

"They prepare for a decisive battle in 2022, backed by the international media, Brussels bureaucrats, and NGOs disguised as civil organisations," he wrote. "It is time for us to line up too."