Budapest, Hungary — US Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Hungary on Tuesday in an attempt to turn the tide of the election campaign as the longtime prime minister takes power. Viktor OrbánHe is a close ally of President Donald Trump, and trails in opinion polls.
Vance’s two-day trip, where he is scheduled to pay an official visit with Orban and later appear at one of his campaign rallies, provided the clearest sign yet that the Trump administration is doing everything it can to deliver an Orban victory when Hungarians head to the polls on Sunday.
Orban is running for a fifth consecutive term as prime minister. He and his populist nationalist party, Fidesz, face major challenges The toughest race in two decades Against a center-right competitor TISA party led by Peter MagyarThis could end Orban’s 16-year rule.
Critics have long accused him of controlling Hungary’s institutions. Tightening the freedom of the press And supervising its establishment Political corruption – Charges he denies – Orban has become a global icon Far-right movement.
Trump has repeatedly endorsed Orban’s candidacy for re-election, and many in the Make America Great Again movement agree with the Hungarian leader’s opposition to immigration. Curtailing LGBTQ+ rightsand the takeover of the media and academia.
But with most independent polls showing a Double-digit deficit for Fides Among voters who decided to vote ahead of the April 12 elections, Orbán sought to boost his image by making public appearances with his international fans.
Vance and his wife, Osha, were welcomed at Budapest airport on Tuesday by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó. The two men greeted each other warmly, and Szijjarto presented Osha Vance with a bouquet of flowers.
Szijjarto told state media from the airport that Vance is the first US vice president to visit Hungary since 1991, and the highest-ranking US official in the country since 2006.
The Hungarian who pledged to do so Bringing Hungary back towards its Western partners Ending her drift toward Moscow, she sharply criticized Vance’s visit in social media posts on Tuesday.
“No foreign country should interfere in the Hungarian elections. This is our country,” Magyar wrote. “Hungarian history is not written in Washington, Moscow or Brussels, but in the streets and squares of Hungary.”
“I respectfully ask the US Vice President who comes to Hungary that if he is indeed campaigning for Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian people should not pay the price,” Magyar said.
Vance’s visit was not the first sign of US support for Orban.
Hungary, which broke away from most EU countries by refusing to help Ukraine with financial aid or weapons to ward it off The Russian invasion is widespreadremains Strongly committed to purchasing Russian energy Despite the European Union’s efforts to stop such supplies.
Hungary in November Obtained exemption from US sanctions Regarding Russian oil and gas after a meeting at the White House between Orban and Trump.
In February, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Budapest He enthusiastically praised Orban and the “personal relationship” he has built with the president, telling Orban that Trump is “deeply committed to your success, because your success is our success.”
Late last month, Orban hosted dozens of allies from across Europe and beyond at the Hungarian version of the Conservative Political Action Conference, and at a meeting Far-right meeting The Patriots for Europe party family, the third largest group in the European Parliament.
Trump sent a video message to CPAC Hungary, saying Orban had his “full and complete endorsement” and was a “terrific guy.”
The Trump administration’s embrace of Orban reflects its widespread attraction to European far-right parties, and the admiration has been mutual, from Spain to France to Germany and the Netherlands.
However, Trump’s recent approach to foreign affairs has reverberated in Europe, with his actions on Greenland, Venezuela and Iran. These relationships are strained.
However, Orban remained deferential, echoing Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 election. In comments to state radio before Trump began his second term, Orban said Democrats “fraudulently took the presidency from Donald Trump.”
Vance’s scheduled appearance at Orban’s campaign rally was an unusual move from a foreign leader, and a departure from the practice of most politicians who avoid actively participating in other countries’ political campaigns.
Orban himself has bristled at the slightest mention of the Hungarian elections by other EU leaders, denouncing any expression of support for his rival as a serious violation of Hungary’s sovereignty and election interference.