US President Donald Trump has again broken with longstanding diplomatic convention by endorsing candidates in foreign elections, throwing his support behind Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in separate statements on Truth Social, his social media platform, this week.
Trump underlined his endorsement of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for reelection ahead of the country's April 12 polls, praising him as a "strong and powerful" leader.
"I was proud to endorse Viktor for re-election in 2022 and am honoured to do so again," Trump said on Thursday.
Trump credited Orban with strengthening relations between Hungary and the US, saying bilateral cooperation has “reached new heights of cooperation and spectacular achievement under my Administration, thanks largely to Prime Minister Orbán."
The president said he looks forward to continuing to work closely with Orban.
Orban has long been a favourite of Trump and the Republican Party, who have invited him to conservative political gatherings and vowed to emulate his style of governance.
“Strong, powerful and wise leader”
In a separate post the same day, Trump announced his endorsement of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of Sunday’s legislative election.
"Prime Minister Takaichi is someone who deserves powerful recognition for the job she and her coalition are doing, and, therefore, as President of the United States of America, it is my honour to give a complete and total endorsement of her and what her highly respected coalition is representing," Trump said.
Trump praised Takaichi, who took office last October, as "a strong, powerful, and wise" leader.
"I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Takaichi to the White House on March 19th," he added.
Endorsing candidates in foreign elections was once seen as taboo in US politics, but Trump has taken pride in blazing his own trail instead of obeying traditional norms.
