Can Donald Trump save Viktor Orbán?

Polls suggest the Hungarian leader is currently trailing his former ally-turned-challenger Péter Magyar, who has capitalized on voter frustration over record inflation, economic malaise and a string of political scandals. With Orbán’s dominance suddenly in question, Trump’s administration and leading MAGA figures have moved to bolster the man they regard as their most dependable ideological ally in Europe.

For MAGA luminaries, Orbán isn’t merely a partner — he’s an inspiration. His hardline stance on migration, his battles against universities and “woke” cultural institutions, his hostility toward Brussels and skepticism toward Ukraine have long been held up as a governance model by American conservatives.

“We were Trump before Trump,” boasts the website of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest. And in June 2024, U.S. Vice President JD Vance openly tipped his hat to Orbán, saying the Hungarian prime minister had “made smart decisions that we could learn from in the U.S.”

And learn they have. “We have entered the policy-writing system of Trump’s team. We have deep involvement there,” bragged Orbán at a rally in Hungary during the 2024 White House race. Hungarian government and pro-Orbán think tanks, such as the Századvég Foundation and the Danube Institute, have also had a long ongoing relationship with Trump-aligned think tanks like the Heritage Foundation, sharing research, ideas and scholars.

Above all, the U.S. president’s allies praise Orbán not just for his policies but for his steadfastness in contrast to other MAGA-friendly politicians — like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whom they dismiss for supporting Ukraine and for her willingness to work with former President Joe Biden between Trump’s two terms. “Orbán went out of his way to remain loyal to Donald Trump when he was out of power and written off politically,” said Benjamin Harnwell, the right-hand man of former Trump strategist Steve Bannon.

And now MAGA is returning the favor by pulling out the stops for the man Trump once described in a lengthy social media post as “a truly strong and powerful Leader … delivering phenomenal results” for Hungary.

On a recent visit to Budapest, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio further underlined Trump’s endorsement, saying U.S. ties with Hungary were entering a “golden era” and promising financial support for the country if needed — but only if Orbán remains in power. “President Trump is deeply committed to your success, because your success is our success,” Rubio said.

This visit from Washington’s top diplomat shows just how seriously the administration is taking Hungary’s April election. “For MAGA, the two most important elections this year are those in Hungary and the midterms in the United States,” said Timothy Ash of Britain’s Chatham House. And John McLaughlin, a veteran Republican strategist who worked on all three of Trump’s presidential campaigns, has been polling for Orbán.

This is all because a defeat for the Hungarian prime minister would be a blow to the global populist movement, even as Washington ramps up support for other like-minded political actors across Europe.

“It would be seen as an ideological or intellectual setback if he lost,” said Frank Furedi, an Orbán ally who heads the Brussels branch of the Hungarian government-backed Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC). “You have to remember that Orbán plays a disproportionately influential role in terms of the outlook of many of these parties and their leaders, who have a strong affection for him,” he added. “I think a defeat would have an impact at least in the short term, in terms of influencing continent-wide political dynamics.” (ER: Hmmm)

Trump card

Three weeks before the election, MAGA luminaries and national conservative and populist stars from across Europe are all set to gather in the Hungarian capital for a CPAC conference organized by the American Conservative Union — the fifth one since 2022.

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