United States Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to travel to Budapest on Tuesday for two days of bilateral meetings, according to a White House announcement. The visit is set to take place less than a week before Hungary’s parliamentary elections on April 12, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party are contesting for office against an opposition led by Peter Magyar.
The trip follows other expressions of support for Orban from the U.S. administration. In February, President Donald Trump formally endorsed Orban, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Hungary that same month.
Recent polls indicate a competitive race. Several polls show the opposition Tisza Party, led by Magyar, holding a lead over the Fidesz party ranging from 8 to 20 percentage points. Magyar, a former Fidesz official, has centered his campaign on issues of alleged government corruption, economic conditions, and Hungary’s relationship with the European Union.
Kim Lane Scheppele, a sociology professor at Princeton University who has studied Hungarian politics, stated that the visit is intended to highlight the relationship between the U.S. and Hungarian administrations.
“Orban will make a big deal out of the fact that he’s got Trump’s support. And that’s why Vance is coming,” Scheppele said. She also commented on the potential impact of the visit on the election, stating, “If you look at the polls in Hungary, they show the opposition with an 8 to 12 percent lead, in some recent polls up to a 20 percent lead. One visit by a relatively low-profile American vice president is not going to change that.”
Orban has been in office for 16 years. During his tenure, the government has enacted reforms to the judiciary and media that critics, including opposition parties and the European Union, have said favor the ruling Fidesz party. In 2022, the European Union suspended billions of euros in funding for Hungary, citing what it described as concerns over democratic standards and judicial independence.
Magyar has stated he would seek a closer relationship with the EU and work toward reforms that could restore the suspended funds.
The relationship between Orban’s government and some U.S. conservative figures has been a focus in recent years. Hungary has hosted the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a gathering of conservative activists and politicians. At the 2024 CPAC event in Budapest, President Trump provided a video message praising Orban.
When Vance was named as Trump’s running mate in July 2024, Orban’s political director posted a photograph of himself with Vance on social media, accompanied by the caption: “A Trump-Vance administration sounds just right.”
Scheppele suggested that a U.S. financial commitment could be a significant factor in the election’s final days.
“The big thing to watch is that, when Orban came to the US recently, Trump appeared to promise a fiscal safety net if Orban wins,” Scheppele said. “If Vance makes that kind of announcement, it could be a real game-changer.” The Trump administration has not publicly confirmed any such promise.
