Given the United States’ role as an international leader, it’s not surprising when American politicians express an interest in other countries’ electoral affairs. Four years ago, for example, former President Barack Obama endorsed Emmanuel Macron’s candidacy in France. Last month, Obama didn’t explicitly back Canada’s Justin Trudeau, but he came awfully close.
And just as Democrats have found common cause with other center-left parties, it’s been relatively common to see Republicans aligned with center-right parties. When Mitt Romney traveled abroad in 2012, for example, the then-GOP presidential nominee made a point to spend some time with Conservative Party leaders in the U.K. (Tories were reportedly unimpressed.)
But as Republican politics in the United States becomes more radicalized, GOP officials are moving beyond connections with center-right parties abroad, instead establishing new ties with far-right parties.
There’s been considerable coverage in recent months, for example, about growing Republican support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his far-right agenda. Former Vice President Mike Pence recently traveled to Budapest to talk up his approach to “family values” and express optimism about the Supreme Court restricting reproductive rights.
But the trouble doesn’t end there. The Washington Post reported this week:








