JD Vance has accused Brussels of interfering in Hungary’s election to undermine Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Speaking during a visit to Budapest on Tuesday, the U.S. vice president described the alleged interference as “one of the worst examples of foreign election interference” he had ever seen.
He said the interference was not limited to Ukraine, but extended to EU institutions, where, he claimed:
Bureaucrats … have tried to destroy the economy of Hungary. They have tried to make Hungary less energy independent. They have tried to drive up costs for Hungarian consumers. And they have done it all because they hate [Orbán].
Foreign interference is clear. The Brusselians are trying to weaken Hungary, our economy, and our energy security. Hungary’s patriotic government will not let them. For us, the Hungarian people and Hungarian families come first. Always. 🇭🇺 pic.twitter.com/r8KrKCmIaF
Pro-Brussels figures dismissed the claims as “ridiculous,” claiming it showed that Donald Trump’s U.S. is “an enemy of the EU.” Czech MEP Tomáš Zdechovský insisted that the EU was actually “protecting the rule of law” in Hungary, while Hungarian opposition leader Magyar Péter said it was Vance who was “interfering” in the election—not that this would stop him from working with Washington if he becomes prime minister.
But Italian politician Claudio Borghi, from the Lega party, agreed that “the EU will do everything to make Orbán lose,” and that previous attempts at interference will have been “nothing compared to what they’ll try to do” in this election.
Economist, writer, and podcast host Philip Pilkington also responded to Vance’s statement, saying: “The whole world has seen the EU deploy KGB police state tactics in the run up to the Hungarian election. It has now been called out loudly.”
The EU has made a fool of itself—and Orban [is] going to win anyway, adding humiliation to the mix.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
