Morning opening: JD Vance in Budapest
The US vice-president JD Vance is traveling to Budapest this morning to support the embattled Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the final days of the campaign ahead of this weekend’s crucial parliamentary election in Hungary.
Departing from Joint Base Andrews last night, JD Vance expressed anticipation about meeting his “friend Viktor,” stating that their discussions would cover not only the state of US-Hungarian relations but also broader topics concerning Europe and Ukraine.
His visit is likely to be regarded as an unprecedented level of involvement in a foreign electoral campaign, underscoring Orbán’s significance for the Maga worldview. In January, nearly a dozen rightwing leaders endorsed Orbán in a video, and last month they attended a “Patriots” rally in Budapest.
However, Orbán remains a rare Russian ally in the European Union, consistently blocking EU support for Ukraine—including the latest €90bn loan—and opposing stricter sanctions on Moscow amid his escalating dispute with Kyiv over energy supplies.
Vance is expected to arrive in Budapest this morning, followed by a joint press conference with Orbán around lunchtime and participation in a rally commemorating “Hungarian-American Friendship Day” this afternoon.
Despite these efforts, there is skepticism about the impact of Vance’s visit, as Orbán continues to trail the opposition by approximately 10 percentage points. The campaign has increasingly focused on the government’s domestic record, particularly regarding the economy.
Updates from Budapest will be provided here.
Separately, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is returning to court for his Libyan case appeal hearing, and coalition talks continue in Denmark as parties seek a majority to form the next government.
It is Tuesday, 7 April 2026. Jakub Krupa reporting for Europe Live.
JD Vance’s Air Force Two is currently approaching Budapest.
Several traffic restrictions and disruptions are anticipated across the capital due to heightened security measures for hosting the US vice-president.
'Hungarian history is not written in Washington, Moscow or Brussels,' Magyar responds to Vance's visit
Meanwhile, opposition leader Péter Magyar has responded to JD Vance’s visit by rejecting what he described as “interference in Hungarian elections.”
No foreign country may interfere in Hungarian elections.
This is our country. Hungarian history is not written in Washington, Moscow, or Brussels – it is written in Hungary’s streets and squares.
Vance's visit highlights Orbán's importance for Maga movement
By Ashifa Kassam and Flora Garamvolgyi in Budapest
The visit has raised questions about why Vance and his wife, Usha, are allocating time to visit Budapest amid the US administration facing the threat of escalation in its five-week war on Iran.
Since returning to power, Trump and his government have departed from the longstanding principle among Western democracies—adhered to by past US presidents—of refraining from taking sides in foreign elections.
Instead, the Trump administration openly supports leaders it views as aligned with Maga ideology and foreign policy priorities, regardless of their democratic credentials.
“Hungary is their El Dorado,” said Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of National Interest. “Vance has always been besotted with Orbán for political and religious reasons.”
The admiration extends across much of the current US administration. Orbán has been praised by Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon as “Trump before Trump,” while Kevin Roberts, head of the Heritage Foundation think tank that produced Project 2025—a far-right blueprint for Trump’s second term—once stated: “Modern Hungary is not just a model for conservative statecraft, but the model.”
While Trump has repeatedly endorsed Orbán, describing the rightwing populist leader as a “fantastic guy” and a “strong and powerful leader,” Heilbrunn interpreted Vance’s visit as a sign that Trump feared Orbán could lose the election. “Trump hates to be associated with a loser, so he is sending Vance to be the fall guy,” he said.
If Orbán were to lose the elections, it would be a “crashing blow” for the Maga movement, Heilbrunn added.
“They have staked almost everything on Hungary as a vanguard to erode and undermine the EU and to bolster Putin’s ability to threaten Ukraine.”
JD Vance’s Air Force Two is currently flying over southern Germany and nearing Czech airspace. He is expected to arrive in Budapest in just over an hour.
