J.D. Vance boosts Hungarian PM Viktor Orban as defender of Western values before election

Vice President J.D. Vance said he supports Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his effort to put Hungarians first, a blunt display of trans-Atlantic support for President Trump’s populist ally ahead of Sunday’s tough election.

Delivering a campaign-style speech on Tuesday, Mr. Vance said the U.S. and Hungary enjoy a “shared civilization” that is under threat from liberal forces who want to open borders and tear down monuments to heroes.

The vice president cast Mr. Orban as an arch defender of traditional Western values.

“We have got to get Viktor Orban reelected as prime minister of Hungary, don’t we?” Mr. Vance told a boisterous rally at a sports arena in Budapest.

“You’re fighting for your freedom. You’re fighting for your sovereignty, and I am here because President Trump and I wish for your success, and we’re fighting right here with you.”

In a bit of theater, Mr. Vance dialed up President Trump and let the commander in chief speak to the crowd.

“I love that Viktor,” Mr. Trump told the crowd by speakerphone. “He didn’t allow people to storm your country and invade your country.”

Mr. Orban is scrambling for support as his Fidesz party trails the Tisza party in recent polling.

In rally remarks, Mr. Orban honored the U.S. on its 250th birthday, condemned “progressives” in Washington and Brussels and thanked Mr. Vance for his support.

“We are very grateful to the divine powers that be that we have such an important man as our friend,” Mr. Orban said.

Mr. Orban is a natural populist ally to the Trump team and its MAGA movement.

The Hungarian leader has antagonized the European Union establishment and ushered in strict migration policies while leaning heavily into Christian identity.

Mr. Trump has lavished praise on Mr. Orban, calling him a “strong and powerful leader” who shares his vision on immigration and law and order.

Mr. Vance’s visit featured a bilateral meeting and a press conference ahead of the “The Day of Hungarian-American Friendship” rally at MTK Sportpark.

Mr. Orban’s rival, Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar, slammed Mr. Vance’s visit.

“No foreign country may interfere in Hungarian elections,” he wrote on X. “This is our country. Hungarian history is not written in Washington, Moscow, or Brussels — it is written in Hungary’s streets and squares.”

Mr. Vance said the “bureaucracy in Brussels” is the primary meddler in the election. He said EU social media censorship kept information away from Hungarian voters.

The administrations in the U.S. and Russia support Mr. Orban, while many in the EU and Ukraine see him as too cozy with Moscow and prefer to see him lose. 

Critics say Mr. Orban, since taking power in 2010, has eroded democratic norms and checks and balances in what’s been coined an “illiberal democracy.”

Yet Mr. Orban said the Vance meeting offered a chance to fight for the “soul of the West.”

“With the election of President Trump, I believe a golden era has been ushered in in our relations,” Mr. Orban said in a press conference. “The United States of America is the strongest country in the world, and I’m happy to say that they are our allies today. The peace and security of Hungary, therefore, is guaranteed.”

He pointed to greater economic cooperation in areas such as space technology and defense.

Mr. Vance called Mr. Orban “one of the only true statesmen in Europe” and wished him luck in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

“I want to help as much as I possibly can the prime minister as he faces this election season,” Mr. Vance said. “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.”

Rather, Mr. Vance said he wanted to “send a signal” to European bureaucrats in Brussels who have opposed Mr. Orban.

Mr. Vance’s preelection effort follows a February visit from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who heralded a “golden age” of U.S.-Hungarian relations.

On Tuesday, Mr. Vance praised the “moral cooperation” between the U.S. and Hungary.

“There have been too few people who’ve been willing to stand up for the values of Western civilization,” he said. “Viktor Orban is the rare exception that has unfortunately proved the rule.”

Mr. Vance said the U.S. is committed to working with whoever leads Hungary after the Sunday election, given the importance of the bilateral relationship.

However, he said, “Viktor Orban is going to win the next election in Hungary, so I feel very confident about that.”