Rubio boosts Orbán ahead of Hungary election

What happened

Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Hungary Monday and reiterated President Donald Trump’s “extraordinarily close relationship” with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is facing a tough re-election fight after nearly 16 years in power. Orbán’s main challenger in the April 12 vote, Péter Magyar of the center-right Tisza party, launched his campaign to unseat his former ally on Sunday, pledging to fight corruption and restore Hungary’s alignment toward Western Europe.

Who said what

Magyar, an influential member of Orbán’s far-right nationalist Fidesz party before breaking away in 2024, has quickly “grown Tisza” into a “formidable political force,” The Associated Press said. “Most independent polls show Tisza with a significant lead” that “has held steady for more than a year.” Orbán’s “success in bringing the judiciary and media to heel” as he worked to “weaken democracy in Hungary” has “raised questions about the fairness of any election in Hungary,” The New York Times said. But Magyar is giving him an “apparently tough challenge.”

Rubio’s attempt to throw Orbán a “political lifeline” is the “latest example of the Trump administration working to keep in power right-wing populist leaders” who offer “enthusiastic praise for Trump” and “are seen as ideologically aligned,” The Washington Post said. Trump is “deeply committed to your success” and “we want this country to do well,” Rubio told Orbán, “especially as long as you’re the prime minister.”

What next?

Rubio’s “warm words” for Orbán “stopped short of a formal election endorsement,” but Trump himself endorsed the Hungarian leader last week, Politico said. Orbán is “also expected to travel to Washington this week for the inaugural meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace.”