Just four days before the parliamentary elections in Hungary, US Vice President J.D. Vance is making an official visit to Budapest to support Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is facing the real risk of losing power for the first time after 16 years of governance. Analysts consulted by “Adevărul” explain the real stakes of this show of force: the legitimization of “Orbanism” as a transatlantic model and the consolidation of Hungary as the last bastion of the conservative MAGA current in Europe.
Vance arrived in Budapest on Tuesday for a two-day visit, being greeted at the airport by the Hungarian Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó. On stage in front of about 5,000 Fidesz supporters, alongside Viktor Orbán, the American Vice President declared that he is in the Hungarian capital “to assist in this election cycle”. He criticized Brussels for its “shameful interference” in the Hungarian elections and praised the Hungarian Prime Minister for his relations with Vladimir Putin and for his energy policies.
The most visible moment of the visit was a skit in which, on stage, J.D. Vance dialed Donald Trump’s number. The first attempt was answered by the automated phone system. On the second try, Trump picked up the call and told the crowd that Orbán “is doing a fantastic job” and that “the United States is with him all the way”.
A response came on Wednesday from Germany, which accused J.D. Vance of hypocrisy, rejecting the US vice president’s accusation that Brussels would have interfered in the elections in Hungary.
“We reject the accusation made by the US Vice President, JD Vance, at an event in Hungary regarding EU interference. I would like to underline, since Vance complains about the alleged EU meddling in elections, that the US Vice President was in Hungary just a few days before the elections. This fact speaks for itself about who is interfering,” the Deputy Spokesperson of the Government, Sebastian Hille, told reporters at a press conference.