For the first time since 2010, when he became Hungary’s prime minister, Orbán is lagging behind in the polls. In a survey of voter intentions, the Tsiza party, founded by his former ally and now main opponent, Péter Magyar, has 50 percent, while Orbán’s Fidesz party has 39 percent, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls.
Orban promptly thanked Trump for his latest show of support, posting a video including the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” the song that the U.S. president has used for campaign rallies. “America stands with us. Hungary is proud to be a great ally,” Orbán wrote on X Saturday morning.
The U.S. president’s pledge comes after a week marked by revelations about Hungary sharing EU confidential documents with Russia.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance also flew to Budapest to campaign for Orbán, and he accused EU bureaucrats of meddling in Hungarian national politics. Standing next to Orbán in Budapest on Tuesday, Vance argued that Hungary has seen “one of the worst examples of foreign election interference that I’ve ever seen or even read about,” drawing charges of hypocrisy.
“It’s strange that a vice president of the European Commission cannot comment on elections, while the U.S. vice president can,” EU Vice President Stéphane Séjourné told POLITICO on Friday.
