JD Vance Visits Budapest to Back Orbán Ahead of Election
JD Vance Visits Budapest to Back Orbán Ahead of Election
US Vice-President JD Vance travels to Budapest to rally support for Viktor Orbán as Hungary heads into a pivotal vote, signaling renewed US-Hungary ties.
US Vice-President JD Vance arrived in Budapest for a two-day visit aimed at backing Viktor Orbán as Hungary heads toward a pivotal parliamentary election on Sunday. He and his wife, Usha Vance, were greeted at the airport by Hungary's foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, before a day of planned engagements that include a joint press conference and a campaign rally at a football stadium.
Officials describe the trip as a signal of continuing US support for Orbán’s leadership. Vance will use the visit to discuss the broad US-Hungary relationship and is expected to address undecided voters ahead of the 12 April vote, which is seen as Orbán’s toughest challenge in nearly four decades in power. The two-day program underscores a moment in which Washington emphasizes alignment with a key European ally.
Orbán, who has cultivated close ties with the US MAGA movement and President Donald Trump, is hoping Vance’s presence will sway voters who remain undecided. Trump publicly expressed support for Orbán in a video message to CPAC in Budapest, saying the Hungarian leader has his “complete and total support.”
The race features Péter Magyar, a former insider in Orbán’s Fidesz party, who has since founded the centre-right Tisza party and is challenging the prime minister. Polls vary: most show Fidesz ahead by between 10% and 20%, though the pro-government Nézőpont agency indicates a narrower margin ahead. This visit is framed as the first top-level US engagement since 2006, when then-President George Bush met Orbán, with a February meeting between Orbán and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also cited by officials.
Vance has said he looks forward to further discussions about the US-Hungary relationship and the broader alliance between their countries, a message welcomed by Orbán’s government as it campaigns for another term.
