Closeness between the two leaders began to build in 2016, when Viktor Orbán was the first European leader to call Trump “a better option” in the presidential race against Hillary Clinton.
Their bromance further blossomed as they praised each other when they met at the White House in 2019. Even after Capitol Hill was stormed on Jan. 6, 2021, Orbán continued to call Trump his “good friend.”
As Trump’s current campaign unfolded, Orbán adopted a modified version of his slogan for use during Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the European Union: “Make Europe Great Again.” Trump also publicly praised Orbán in his nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in late July.
Even as former GOP officials sounded the alarm over Orbán’s ties to Russia and China, Orbán publicly claimed to be helping draft the Trump team’s policy.
After the European Parliament’s debate on Hungary’s EU presidency earlier this month, Orbán said at a press conference that he’d open “several bottles of champagne” if Trump won.
