Viktor Orban was never America’s friend

Published April 14, 2026 8:13am ET



Peter Magyar’s landslide election victory in Hungary has brought down Viktor Orban after 16 years in power. It’s a defeat for Moscow and Beijing, both of which counted Orban as a partner. But it’s also a defeat for the Trump administration, which openly and enthusiastically endorsed Orban.

This American endorsement and Trump’s regard for Orban were always odd.

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