US Vice President JD Vance, during an official visit, both criticized Brussels for election meddling and insisted that Washington was not trying to influence the outcome of the election, writes Politico.
During the visit, Vance also called US President Donald Trump from the stage to give him the opportunity to praise Hungary’s current Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, a key ally of the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement in Europe.
Hungary is holding parliamentary elections on the 12th of April, and Vance’s critical remarks about the European Union came at the same time as expressing full support for Orbán, although the US vice president emphasized that he did not come to Budapest to support the leader of the right-wing Fidesz party during the primaries. At a press conference at the Hungarian prime minister’s office, Vance said: “Now, I don’t expect, of course, the people of Hungary to listen to the vice president of the United States, that’s not primarily why I’m here. But I did want to send a signal to everybody, particularly to the bureaucrats in Brussels, who have done everything that they can to hold down the people of Hungary, because they don’t like the leader, who has actually stood up for the people of Hungary. And I think it’s important to say that.”
Vance later reiterated his stance, saying he had heard the EU sneering about normal, god-fearing Hungarians.
CNBC reports that while addressing the gathering at the Friendship Day event, Vance called Trump, allowing the president to address the event attendees remotely. Trump said:
“I love that Viktor, I’ll tell you, he’s a fantastic man, we’ve had a tremendous relationship.”
The US president added that it is important to remember that Orbán did not allow his country to be invaded, as others have done, that he has kept the country good, kept Hungarians in it and generally done a fantastic job.
JD Vance puts an annoyed Trump on speakerphone at a Viktor Orbán rally:
“Hi. JD, could you give me a second? I’m just… uh…” pic.twitter.com/nVpRmpTNYu
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) April 7, 2026
Politico reported that Orbán’s main political rival Péter Magyar, in turn, accused Vance of interfering in the election process, writing on the X that no country should interfere in elections, and added that Hungarian history is not written in Washington, Moscow or Brussels.
Vance’s statements against the EU echoed Orbán’s campaign narratives that bloc officials are interfering in the elections and turning Hungarians against him. Orbán also tried to portray Magyar, the leader of the center-right Tisza party, as a puppet controlled by Brussels and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Orbán visited the White House last year, and Trump has repeatedly expressed his support for the current Hungarian prime minister. However, polls show that even American support has not changed Orbán’s popularity.
Vance said on the 7th of April that Orbán was the only stable leader in Europe on 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.”
However,
it seems that the visit and expressed support of the US vice president are unlikely to cause any sharp turns in the elections,
which are looking increasingly unfavorable for Orbán. According to polls, Orbán is well behind his main rival. Tisza’s lead in the polls is linked to his sharp focus on Hungary’s economic problems and his focus on the corruption and cronyism that surround Orbán.
Mario Bikarski, an analyst at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft, noted that the current US administration’s reputation in Hungary is also currently in a negative light, meaning that Vance’s visit could have the opposite effect on Orbán’s prospects.
The Friendship Day event, which was supposedly intended to celebrate Hungarian-American friendship, was clearly part of the pre-election campaign. Orbán emphatically praised Vance and his speech in Munich last year, where the vice president shamed Europe for ignoring the will of its people, overturning election results, restricting religious freedom and inaction on migration.
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