The former president remains keenly invested in the midterm election cycle that is cresting back home. But his attention has been occupied by affairs overseas too.
Trump’s warned about world war stemming from U.S. policy towards Taiwan, he’s entertained Hungary’s Viktor Orban at his club in New Jersey, andHis allies say it’s part of building his own political brand.
Those close to Trump say he views his interest and involvement in foreign elections as a natural extension of his relationships from the White House and his long held efforts to flex political power back home. His correspondence with Kim Jong-Un has reportedly been one of the facets that has embroiled him in one of his main legal dramas. Trump is believed to have kept the letters the North Korean leader sent to him, despite requests for the National Archives for them to be turned over under the Presidential Records Act.
But there are personal political benefits Trump seeks as well. During the 2020 election, he was supported by Bolsonaro, Orban, and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. He infamously asked Ukrainian leadership for dirt on Joe Biden. Four years prior, his son, Don Jr. said. But aides insist that the relationships aren’t simply transactional but built on something more intimate.