The political centerpiece of Donald Trump’s occupation of the White House has been the cheesy sloganeering that he stole from 1920s American fascists: “Make America Great Again.” That message presupposes that America wasn’t great to begin with. And Trump expanded that pessimistic point of view by insisting that he would always put “America First.”

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Trump’s promises with regard to his commitment to American supremacy are like all of his other promises. They are flimsy and unreliable and subject to being abandoned whenever they don’t advance his personal interests. And through it all Trump manages to imagine himself as a beloved leader that can do no wrong.

SEE THIS: Trump Desperately Clings to Wildly Adoring Polls, Doesn’t Mention They Only Polled His Supporters

In the fourteen months since Trump returned to power he has plainly demonstrated his ignorance and incompetence. He has wrecked the economy with higher inflation due to his tariffs and idiotic trade policies. He has destroyed faith in the law with his invasions of U.S. cities by ICE thugs and persecution of political foes. And he has launched a reckless and illegal war against Iran.

So how does all of that translate into fulfilling Trump’s pledge of achieving American greatness? Obviously it does not. And Trump’s response to that record of abysmal failure is to spend millions of taxpayer dollars erecting tributes to himself, such as a vanity ballroom, an arch of triumph, and plastering his name and pumpkin-hued mug on everything from the Kennedy Center to U.S. currency.

Trump is engaging in a festival of ego-fluffing that is reminiscent of the totalitarian dictators that he idolizes and seeks to emulate. Among them are Russia’s Vladimir Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. The latter of which is lately on Trump’s mind due to the election on Sunday that he is predicted to lose.

Trump has given Orbán his “Complete and Total Endorsement.” He even sent his Vice-President, JD Vance, to Hungary last week to campaign for Orbán. And most recently Trump posted a supportive comment on his failing Twitter ripoff, Truth Social, to buttress Orbán’s losing effort, saying that “My Administration stands ready to use the full Economic Might of the United States to strengthen Hungary’s Economy.”

Good to know. With everything that is going wrong in the U.S., Trump is focusing squarely on the political travails of a Hungarian authoritarian. And he’s using the “the full Economic Might” of the U.S. to bribe Hungarian voters to reelect someone that they clearly don’t want. Perhaps the American people would prefer that Might to be used to shore up America’s healthcare system, or resolve the homeless crisis, or improve education, or even just pay down the debt that Trump has exploded. But Trump has other priorities that include propping up his heroes.

MORE HERE: Trump Slobbers Over Hungarian Dictator Viktor Orbán, Whose Unchecked Power He Envies and Craves

For some background on Orbán, historian Timothy Snyder wrote an essay that summarizes much of the current obsession that Trump has with Orbán. He notes that Orbán is a subversive member of the European Union who often works to advance the interests of Europe’s enemies. Snyder wrote in part that…

“Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary, is a central figure in the international far right, and indeed the man, more than any other, who created the networks that normalized what he himself calls ‘illiberalism.’ Should he lose, as all signs indicate he will, this would be blow to far more familiar figures such as JD Vance and Donald Trump, who are Orbán’s pupils.” […]

“Orbán has done more than anyone else to generate negative propaganda about the European Union, treating it as a hostile enemy. […] His government opened EU territory to Russian and Chinese intelligence operations.”

There may, however, be a silver lining to the campaigning by Trump and Vance for Orbán. As reported by Newsweek…

“The likelihood Viktor Orbán winning Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary election has dropped since U.S. Vice President JD Vance made a speech endorsing him, according to the latest betting odds.”

Betting platforms Kalshi and Polymarket both show Orbán’s chances of winning have declined significantly since Trump’s endorsement and Vance’s visit. So maybe we should encourage Trump and company to do more campaigning for world leaders, and even for candidates here at home. His name is like poison to many voters.

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