Viktor Orban’s defeat is a setback for Donald Trump, who has promoted “patriotic European parties” as a pillar of his national security strategy, and suggests that passing MAGA could be a liability.
The American president promoted the Hungarian leader as a shield of civilization for Europe and a model for populist leaders.
Emmanuel Macron hailed the result as a “victory for democratic participation, for the Hungarian people’s commitment to EU values and for Hungary’s place in Europe”.
Not to be outdone, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said: “The heart of Europe is beating faster in Hungary tonight.”
At a rally in Budapest last week, Orban’s Fidesz supporters shouted as Trump directly called JD Vance. “I’m a big fan of Victor — I’m with him all the way, the US is with him all the way,” Trump said.
Hungarian voters were not impressed.
Theo Francken, the Belgian defense minister who once admired Orbán’s tough stance on stopping illegal migration, believes the result proves a Trump endorsement could prove fatal during the election.
“Maga’s explicit support during the election is more of a liability than an asset,” he told X, looking at the impact of MAGA’s comments on boosting the center in Canada, or undermining nationalists in Germany. “You’d better run a mile from a MAGA electoral hug.”
Trump’s support was unprecedented but in line with the US president’s broader strategy for the EU, described as “cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory”.
“America encourages its political allies in Europe to promote this revival of spirit, and the growing influence of European patriotic parties indeed gives cause for great optimism,” he said. national security strategy last December.
Trump has since gone to war against Iran, triggering a spiraling upward spiral in energy prices and inflation that has alarmed Europeans — and the “patriots” he supports. Italy’s Giorgia Meloni has reportedly refused to allow the US to use a Sicilian air base. Marine Le Pen and Germany’s Alternative for Germany have also distanced themselves.
After the Hungarian vote, Orban’s lesson may be that Trump’s support is like a rope for a hanged man. The loss is a political setback for Trump, who now — more than ever — needs to show that his MAGA star is on the rise.
(cs)
