Vance Makes 11th-Hour Trip to Stump for Orban

Vice President JD Vance just dropped into Budapest in what amounts to an 11th-hour boost for a longtime US ally on the nationalist right who suddenly looks vulnerable. With Sunday's election looming and most polls showing Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party trailing by double digits, Vance is urging Hungarians to keep Orban in power, reports the New York Times, underscoring how a vote in a small Central European country has turned into a proxy battle far beyond its borders. Vance's trip will span two days, notes the AP, and include an official meeting with Orban, as well as an appearance at a campaign rally.

For President Trump, Orban is a key partner in pushing back against liberal politics in Europe and needling the European Union; for Vladimir Putin, he has been instrumental in slowing sanctions and aid for Ukraine. The EU, often blocked by Budapest on Ukraine and other issues, is quietly hoping for change. Orban is running hard on holding a tough line toward Ukraine, while his challenger, conservative former insider Peter Magyar, leads a new party that has upended Hungary's political map. Trump claims sending Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Argentina last year helped tip the scales in favor of a struggling Javier Milei; whether Vance can help recreate that effect for Orban remains to be seen.