The Trump administration has broken with convention by sending JD Vance to Hungary to campaign for long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who faces an uphill battle with elections set for April 12. Orbán, a dominant figure in Hungarian politics since the late 1990s and prime minister continuously since 2010, is a leading inspiration for the global far right and is running for a fifth consecutive term.
Orbán has openly aligned himself with Russian President Vladimir Putin and opposed stronger Western support for Ukraine, and he has proudly described Hungary as an “illiberal” democracy. His government has been accused of capturing state institutions — including the judiciary, media and universities — leading critics to describe elections there as “free but not fair.” Hungary also ranks among the most corrupt and poorest countries in the EU.
Vance is scheduled to meet Orbán for an official discussion followed by a press conference and will later appear at a campaign rally. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who welcomed Vance and his wife upon arrival in Budapest, said the visit signals “a new golden age in US-Hungary relations.” Szijjártó said topics will include migration, global security, and economic and energy cooperation.
Orbán currently trails by double digits in polls and his administration has been hit by recent revelations suggesting possible collusion with Russia and allegations of spying on political opponents. Despite those controversies, Trump and the MAGA movement praise Orbán’s hardline stances on immigration, LGBTQ rights and press freedoms, and cast him as a defender of “Western Christian values.” Several other right-wing leaders — including Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders and Argentina’s Javier Milei — have voiced support for Orbán’s reelection and appeared in campaign videos backing him.
The U.S. has rewarded Orbán’s resistance to Kyiv by exempting Hungary from some Russian oil and gas sanctions, and high-level U.S. figures have publicly signaled support. In February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Orbán that President Trump was “deeply committed to your success,” and Trump has called Orbán “a fantastic guy” with his “complete and total endorsement.”
Traditionally, the United States has avoided overt involvement in foreign elections, making Vance’s arrival days before the vote a notable departure from past practice. Orbán, while welcoming U.S. support, has criticized other EU leaders for commenting on Hungary’s election, calling their remarks an infringement on Hungarian sovereignty and accusing them of election interference.
Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher