JD Vance goes to Budapest
JD Vance rallies for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest ahead of the crucial election, drawing the attention of American conservatives. Panelists discussed the deteriorating economy and Orban’s tough bid for re-election, facing corruption charges that could end his 16-year grip on power. Critics highlight his controversial economic strategy and relationship with Vladimir Putin, including blocking EU aid to Ukraine, as making the race unpredictable.
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The US and Europe are watching closely as Hungarians turned out in record numbers to vote on Sunday in a high-stakes election in which Prime Minister Viktor Orban, backed by President Donald Trump, is pitted against his former political ally, Peter Magyar.
Trailing in opinion polls, Orbán got a big boost earlier this week when Vice President J.D. Vance visited the country, making it clear what the administration’s position was on the importance of a pro-American candidate at the center of Europe as many of its continental allies have proven vulnerable, particularly due to a lack of help in the war against Iran.
In his remarks, Vance explained why he was there. “We are doing this because we thought that with so much garbage being thrown against Victor in this election, we need to show that there are actually a lot of people and a lot of friends around the world who believe that Victor and his government are doing a good job, and that they are important partners for peace,” he said at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, a private university in the Hungarian capital Budapest. “That’s why we’re here, but ultimately the Hungarian people are going to be sovereign because that’s the way it should be.”
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Vice President J.D. Vance laughs at President Donald Trump’s call while speaking at a Friendship Day event with Prime Minister Viktor Orban at MTK Sportspark in Budapest, Hungary, on April 7, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Following Vance’s return to the US, Trump said on Truth Social Friday: “My administration stands ready to use the full economic strength of the United States to strengthen Hungary’s economy, as we have done for our great partners in the past, if Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the people of Hungary ever need it. We are excited to invest in the future prosperity that will arise from Orbán’s continued leadership!”
Beloved by many older and more rural Hungarians and despised by opponents, Orban has emerged as the country’s most consequential leader since the transition to democracy at the end of the Cold War. Nevertheless the election campaign has intensified.
Orbán’s strained relations with the EU are due to his position on Russia’s war against Ukraine, his country’s staunch support for Israel, and his tough stance on not accepting migrants, which led to the EU imposing financial sanctions upon his refusal to open the country’s borders to foreigners.
During the 16-year-old Orbán government, the Hungarian economy has grown relatively rapidly for an EU country. The country’s per capita GDP (how much the average person earns annually) rose to about $17,000 last year, from about $12,000 in 2014, according to data from Trading Economics. However, it is not all good. Inflation has recently been relatively high at an annual rate of 4.9%, and business sentiment has been consistently negative through August 2022.
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Peter Magyar speaks during a protest outside the Hungarian Interior Ministry building in Budapest, Hungary on April 26, 2024. Magyar is leading the polling in the April 2026 election. (Danes Erdos/AP)
According to Politico, polls as of April 9 show Magyar’s Tisza party trailing with 50% of the vote and Orbán’s Fidesz party with 39%. Magyar now poses the biggest electoral threat to Orbán since 2010.
“The polls are going well for the opposition,” Daniel Wood, portfolio manager at William Blair Investment Management, told Fox News Digital. “If the opposition wins, it is likely that the EU will unlock frozen funds, which amount to about 7% of GDP.”
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the West Wing of the White House on May 13, 2019. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)
Speaking to reporters outside a polling station on Sunday, Orban, 62, said the campaign was “a great national moment on our side” and thanked activists and supporters for their work. “I’m here to win,” he told the Associated Press.
In an interview earlier in the week, Magyar complained that the EU’s longest-serving leader had taken the country on a “180-degree turn” in recent years, endangering its Western orientation while cozying up to Moscow. Yet despite that drift, “Hungarians still see that Hungary’s peace and development is guaranteed by EU and NATO membership,” Magyar said. “I think this will really be a referendum on our country’s place in the world,” he told The Associated Press.
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The results are expected on Sunday afternoon.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
