US President Donald Trump has expressed “full support” for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections scheduled for 12 April. According to polls, Orban’s party, which has remained in power for more than 15 years, could face defeat at the polls. Orban himself and his supporters express confidence in victory.
A Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) was held in Budapest on 21 March with the participation of figures with conservative, nationalist and Eurosceptic views. All of them expressed support for Orbán’s policies in one way or another. Trump’s video message was shown at the beginning of the meeting.
The US president called Orban a “strong leader” who has shown the world how to “defend its borders, culture, heritage, sovereignty and values”. He said he fully supported the Hungarian prime minister and that he hoped for his complete victory.
Orban thanked Trump for his support. In his speech, he said that US-Hungarian relations are in a “golden age” since the US president took office.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Argentine President Javier Milay also attended the conference. Polish President Karol Nawrocki was criticised by members of Poland’s pro-European government for coming to Budapest. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš cancelled the trip, citing an arson attack investigated as a terrorist attack in the town of Pardubice, he made a video message.
Orban is opposed to the European establishment and has declared himself a supporter of the U.S. president. Recently, disagreements between Orban and the EU leadership and most EU countries have intensified. Hungary has blocked the allocation of the previously agreed 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine and is also not agreeing to the entry into force of the 20th package of sanctions. In turn, the Ukrainian authorities and some European politicians accuse Orban of a pro-Russian stance.
In recent days, the media have published articles claiming that Hungarian representatives are informing Moscow about what is happening at the EU Council meetings and that Moscow was allegedly working on a plan to help Orban in the elections, in particular, by organising a fake assassination attempt against him. This was reported by The Washington Post. The Hungarian prime minister’s associates deny these allegations.
The US administration has previously made no secret of its sympathy for the current Hungarian leadership. Budapest confirmed that US Vice President J.D. Vance was due to visit the country before the election.