While arguing Orbán was a model of leadership for Europe more widely, Vance said: “Viktor Orbán has been the single sound leader in Europe on the question of energy security and independence. It is funny to watch prime ministers and leaders in some of the Western European capitals talk about the energy crisis, when, frankly, they should have been following the policies of Viktor Orbán in Hungary, and if they had, the energy crisis that they were experiencing would be a lot less bad.”
Those remarks refer to Orbán’s insistence that Hungary should be allowed to continue to import discounted energy from Russia, rather than cutting those supplies to support Ukraine.
Trump has previously praised Orbán as “one of the strongest” world leaders, and the Hungarian prime minister anticipated MAGA’s obsessions more than a decade ago with his assertive nationalism, his contempt for the EU, and his success in asserting influence over Hungary’s media and public institutions.
The U.S. vice president’s trip, however, appears unlikely to swing an increasingly bitter race in which Orban is trailing on average by a significant margin, according to pollsters.
His rivals attribute their lead in the polls to their laser-focused attacks on the weakness of the Hungarian economy, and on the corruption and cronyism associated with Orbán.
“Perceptions of the current U.S. administration have been turning more negative in Hungary,” said Mario Bikarski, an analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft. “Vance’s visit could have the opposite effect on Orbán’s popularity than the one intended.”