JD Vance arrives in Hungary days before election, hoping to boost
Orbán's campaign
[April 07, 2026]
By JUSTIN SPIKE
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in
Hungary's capital Tuesday in a bid to turn the tide of an election
campaign where long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally of
President Donald Trump, is trailing in the polls.
Vance's two-day trip, where he is scheduled to hold an official visit
with Orbán and later appear at one of his campaign rallies, was the
clearest sign yet that the Trump administration was going all-in for an
Orbán victory when Hungarians go to the polls on Sunday.
In power since 2010, Orbán is running for his fifth-straight term as
prime minister. He and his nationalist-populist Fidesz party are facing
their toughest race in two decades against a center-right challenger,
the Tisza party led by Péter Magyar, that could bring an end to Orbán's
16 years in power.
Long accused by critics of taking over Hungary’s institutions, clamping
down on press freedom and overseeing entrenched political corruption —
charges he denies — Orbán has become an icon in the global far-right
movement.
Trump has repeatedly endorsed Orbán’s candidacy for reelection, and many
in the Make America Great Again movement approve of the Hungarian
leader's opposition to immigration, curtailing of LGBTQ+ rights, and
capture of the media and academia.
But with most independent polls showing a double-digit deficit for
Fidesz among decided voters ahead of the April 12 vote, Orbán has sought
to boost his profile by appearing publicly with his international
admirers.
Vance and his wife Usha were greeted at the Budapest airport on Tuesday
by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. The two men greeted one
another warmly, and Szijjártó presented Usha Vance with a bouquet of
flowers.
The vice president's visit wasn't the first sign of U.S. support for
Orbán.
Hungary, which has broken with most European Union countries by refusing
to assist Ukraine with financial assistance or weapons to ward off
Russia's full-scale invasion, has remained firmly committed to
purchasing Russian energy despite EU efforts to wean off such supplies.
In November, Hungary received an exemption from U.S. sanctions on
Russian oil and gas after a White House meeting between Orbán and Trump.
In February, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Budapest where
he enthusiastically praised Orbán and the “person-to-person connection”
he’d established with the president, telling Orbán: “President Trump is
deeply committed to your success because your success is our success.”
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Vice President JD Vance, left, listens as Hungary's Prime
Minister Viktor Orban speaks during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of
the White House, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan
Vucci, File)
Late last month, Orbán hosted dozens of allies from around Europe
and beyond at the Hungarian iteration of the Conservative Political
Action Conference, and at a meeting of the far-right Patriots for
Europe party family, the third-largest group in the European
Parliament.
Trump sent a video message to CPAC Hungary, saying Orbán had his
“complete and total endorsement" and was a “fantastic guy.”
The Trump administration's embrace of Orbán reflects its affinity
for European far-right parties broadly, and the admiration, from
Spain to France to Germany and the Netherlands, has been mutual.
Still, Trump’s recent approach to foreign affairs has reverberated
in Europe, with his actions over Greenland, Venezuela and Iran
straining those relationships.
Orbán, however, has remained deferential, and has echoed Trump’s
false claims that he won the 2020 election. In comments to state
radio just before Trump began his second term, Orbán said Democrats
“took the presidency away from Donald Trump through fraud.”
Vance's planned appearance at Orbán's election rally was an unusual
step from a foreign leader, and a break with the practice of most
politicians who avoid actively taking part in the political
campaigns of other countries.
Orbán himself has bristled at the slightest mention of the Hungarian
election by other EU leaders, decrying any expressions of support
for his opponent as a grave breach of Hungary's sovereignty and
meddling in the election.
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