Donald Trump has offered fawning praise to a far-right anti-immigration leader who is one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies in Europe.
In a Tuesday Truth Social post, Trump threw his support behind Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, describing him as a “truly strong and powerful Leader, with a proven track record of delivering phenomenal results.”
Trump’s endorsement of Orbán comes as the authoritarian Hungarian PM faces a serious risk of losing an upcoming election, in which his strong ties to Moscow, combined with the country’s economic struggles, have become a major campaign issue.
The center-right Tisza party, led by Péter Magyar, a former insider in Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party, is currently leading in the polls by 9 percentage points ahead of Hungary’s April 12 election.
“He fights tirelessly for, and loves, his Great Country and People, just like I do for the United States of America. Viktor works hard to Protect Hungary, Grow the Economy, Create Jobs, Promote Trade, Stop Illegal Immigration, and Ensure LAW AND ORDER,” Trump wrote.
“I was proud to ENDORSE Viktor for Re-Election in 2022, and am honored to do so again. Election Day is April 12, 2026. Hungary: GET OUT AND VOTE FOR VIKTOR ORBÁN. He is a true friend, fighter, and WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Hungary.”
Trump and Orbán have been close allies for years, with Orbán becoming the first European Union leader to back Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Orbán has visited Trump at the White House several times, most recently in November 2025.
Orbán is also a longtime ally of Putin and is widely viewed as one of the Russian president’s closest supporters within NATO and the European Union amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Hungary depends heavily on Russian energy, and Orbán visited Trump last November to discuss potential exemptions from U.S. sanctions on Moscow’s two largest oil companies.
On Saturday, The Washington Post reported that Russian intelligence operatives had discussed staging an assassination attempt on Orbán in order to give his re-election campaign a much-needed boost.
Trump himself survived an assassination attempt during the 2024 election campaign after a gunman opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July of that year.
The Post also reported in the same article that Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, is alleged to have frequently leaked confidential EU information to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. Because of this, “every single EU meeting for years has basically had Moscow behind the table,” one official told The Post.
“Based on current information, Szijjártó appears to be colluding with Russia, thereby betraying Hungarian and European interests,” Orbán’s election rival Magyar posted on X. “If confirmed, this would amount to treason, which carries a potential life sentence.”
Szijjártó dismissed the allegations as “lies” and “fake news” on social media.
