Hungarian prime minister says 'fingers crossed' for Trump victory

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Thursday he had just spoken to former President Trump and was rooting for him to win the election Tuesday.

“Just got off the phone with President @realDonaldTrump,” Orbán said in a post on the social platform X.

“I wished him the best of luck for next Tuesday,” he continued. “Only five days to go. Fingers crossed.”

Orbán, a right-wing populist, has been vocal in his support for the former president, who hosted Orbán twice this year at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The conservative right in the U.S. has also embraced the Hungarian leader, who has spoken at high-profile right-wing events, including the Conservative Political Action Conference. Hungary now hosts its own iteration of the annual conservative conference.

Orbán has drawn widespread criticism for democratic backsliding in Hungary, where he has cracked down on the press and judiciary, while reconfiguring the country’s political system to ensure his party retains power. He also has the closest relationship to Russia of all the European Union countries.

In July, Orbán traveled to Florida to meet with Trump at the conclusion of the NATO summit in Washington, D.C. Details of the meeting were scarce, but Orbán said the two men discussed “peace mission 5.0” regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Trump also met in early March with Orbán, who said after the meeting that he and Trump were aligned on the war in Ukraine and that Trump would not give “a single penny” to Kyiv if elected.

The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.