Several foreign officials have expressed their support for former President Donald Trump after he was indicted on 34 charges in a New York court on Tuesday.
While most current world leaders have refrained from commenting on Trump’s indictment, the foreign press has had mixed reactions to the news. Some outlets covered the story prominently, while others did not. China, for instance, used the event to cast doubt on the legitimacy of American democracy.
“Two current foreign leaders raised their voices in Trump’s favor: right-wing ally Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele,” The Daily Caller reported.
“Keep on fighting, Mr. President! We are with you, @realDonaldTrump,” Orban tweeted Tuesday along with a photo of himself with the then-president.
Keep on fighting, Mr. President! We are with you, @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/EZFMYHDRzl
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) April 3, 2023
“Think what you want about former President Trump and the reasons he’s being indicted,” Bukele added. “But just imagine if this happened in any other country, where a government arrested the main opposition candidate. The United States ability to use ‘democracy’ as foreign policy is gone.”
Think what you want about former President Trump and the reasons he’s being indicted.
But just imagine if this happened in any other country, where a government arrested the main opposition candidate.
The United States ability to use “democracy” as foreign policy is gone. https://t.co/svdFxtaf4q
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) April 4, 2023
Trump has joined former leaders in 78 countries who have been indicted after leaving office, Axios reported.
Most countries where top leaders have not been arrested or charged are dictatorships or monarchies, the outlet noted further.
Observers and legal analysts on both sides of the political aisle believe Trump’s charges are bogus.
“If the New York bench retains any integrity, this case will be thrown out as legally improper with an admonition to Bragg and his office for politicizing the criminal justice process,” warned constitutional expert Jonathan Turley, summing up the opposition.
“In a single indictment, Alvin Bragg bulldozed any high ground that the Democrats had after January 6th. He has fulfilled the narrative of the Trump campaign by supplying a raw and undeniable example of the politicization of the legal system.”
