Habony Reportedly Attempted to Link Trump with Pro-Russia Government in Georgia
Title: Orbán’s Spin Doctor Fails to Establish Relationship Between Georgian Prime Minister and President Trump
Hungary’s PM Orbán’s chief spin doctor, Árpád Habony, was tasked with establishing a relationship between the newly-elected Georgian prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, and President Trump. However, the project was unsuccessful after Minister Antal Rogán was hit with Magnitsky sanctions. Habony, who also worked in Slovakia and Poland, traveled to Florida to network with the Trump team and played a key role in the Georgian elections last October.
Georgia is currently in a constitutional crisis as President Salome Zourabichvili did not accept her removal by the newly-elected parliament following disputed October elections. PM Orbán visited Tbilisi to congratulate Kobakhidze on his victory, despite doubts about the election’s fairness.
However, PM Orbán’s Transatlantic allies, President Trump, his team, and the Republicans, do not share his positive view of the situation in Georgia. PM Kobakhidze’s appearance in a photo with Iranian, Hezbollah, and Hamas leaders caused outrage among Republicans, leading to President Trump inviting Zourabichvili, the leader of the Georgian political opposition, to his inauguration instead.
Habony successfully aided the Georgian Dream movement, Kobakhidze’s party, in their election victory, but failed to smooth the relationship between Kobakhidze and the Trump leadership. Orbán’s efforts to arrange a meeting between Georgian de facto leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili, and Trump also failed due to the Magnitsky sanctions imposed on Minister Rogán.
The new Georgian government’s shift away from the European Union and suspension of accession talks has sparked protests, with the opposition labeling the Georgian Dream movement as pro-Kremlin. PM Orbán’s involvement in Georgian politics and his attempts to align Georgian leaders with President Trump highlight the complex dynamics at play in the region.
