Hungary-U.S. troubled relationship turned into a Twitter spat on Monday after Prime Minister Viktor Orbán swiped as billionaire, investor and philanthropist George Soros reportedly decided to hand over his $25 million empire to his son, Alex Soros.
What Happened: The European leader on Monday tweeted “Soros 2.0” in response to news of Soros’ decision to transfer his multi-billion dollar foundation to his son.
Orbán also included a GIF portraying a scene from “The Godfather,” showing family patriarch and mafia head Vito Corleone kissing the cheek of his son, Michael Corleone, drawing parallels between the two.
The Hungarian leader’s tweet drew a massive public rebuke from the U.S. ambassador, David Pressman, who responded on Twitter with a GIF depicting a woman wearing a tin foil hat, symbolizing a conspiracy theorist.
“The dog-whistle conspiracy theories are like the plot of Godfather 3,” the U.S. diplomat wrote, adding, “predictable & troubling.”
Why It Matters: Hungarian PM has a long history of clashing with Soros, who he has called “the condensed symbol of everything the Hungarian right hates.”
For years, Orbán has been running campaigns that depict Soros as a puppet master who controls Hungary’s opposition and conspires against Budapest’s interests. Orbán completed his academic journey at Oxford University on a Soros Foundation scholarship before delving into politics. While initially associated with Soros, Orbán swiftly carved out his own path in politics, embracing an anti-communist stance, and Hungarian nationalism, while diverging from Soros’ globalist leanings, reported Fox News.
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