by Fred Fleitz
On Friday, one of President Trump’s closest foreign leader friends, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, will visit the White House for the first time since Trump’s inauguration in January. This meeting will build on a successful relationship that has benefited American, Hungarian, and global security.
I had the opportunity to witness the Trump-Orbán relationship up close when I attended a meeting Mr. Trump held with the Hungarian leader at Mar-a-Lago in June 2024. I saw a genuine friendship rooted in the belief that Western society is under siege, as well as two leaders who had been ostracized for defending their nations against it.
Trump remembers his friends. Back in 2016, when elitists in the U.S. and Europe scoffed at Trump’s insurgent campaign, Orbán was the lone EU head of state to embrace him, recognizing a kindred spirit in the fight against the destructive trend of open borders and globalism. Trump reciprocated with effusive praise, calling Orbán “fantastic” and a model of effective leadership.
Trump also remembers that while European leaders were badmouthing him during the 2024 presidential campaign, Orbán openly endorsed his reelection. In addition, Orbán was the first foreign leader to meet with Trump during the campaign.
At the top of the agenda for the Trump/Orbán meeting will be protecting sovereignty and national borders. Trump and Orbán have both taken aggressive action to defend their nations against out-of-control immigration, which they believe is destroying Europe and has done significant damage to the United States.
Trump frequently condemned President Biden for refusing to secure America’s southern border and allowing an estimated 11 million illegal aliens to enter our country, a significant number of whom were criminals, terrorists, and drug traffickers. Trump has already met his campaign promise to fix this problem by sealing America’s borders and by his administration’s efforts to arrest and deport illegal migrants.
Hungary has not seen the rash of church burnings and violence by Islamist migrants that has swept across Europe because Orbán has secured Hungary’s borders against illegal migrants. Orbán also has stubbornly refused to accept quotas of illegal migrants from the Middle East and Africa that the European Union has tried to force on Hungary. In June 2024, an EU court imposed a 200 million-euro fine on Hungary and a one million-euro per day penalty for refusing to admit illegal migrants under the EU’s migrant relocation quotas. Orbán has refused to pay these fines.
Hungary has paid a high price for resisting the EU’s diktats on immigration and social issues. Several Western European countries have imposed informal boycotts on trade with Hungary and reduced foreign direct investment. The Biden administration attempted to punish Hungary for its conservative policies by suspending it from the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, making it harder for Hungarian citizens to visit the United States. The Trump administration restored Hungary to the Visa Waiver Program in September 2025.
The two leaders, therefore, are likely to discuss increasing American foreign direct investment in Hungary and other ways to offset economic pressure by Western European countries.
Energy will be an important and sensitive topic during Orbán’s White House visit. Although President Trump will press Hungary to halt its oil and gas imports from Russia, Trump previously has acknowledged that Hungary will not be able to end energy imports from Russia for the foreseeable future for geographic and infrastructure reasons. Instead, the two leaders may strike agreements to develop Hungary’s nuclear energy program, especially small modular reactors, to help make Hungary more energy independent.
Like Trump, Orbán has also been a steadfast ally of Israel, particularly since the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre. Trump’s 20-point Gaza War peace plan will be a major topic during the Trump/Orbán meeting. It was clear that Trump greatly appreciated Orbán’s participation at the October 13 Sharm El Sheikh Summit, where 30 nations endorsed this peace plan. Although several Western European states attended the summit and endorsed the peace plan, some have since indicated that they want to alter and weaken it to give the Palestinian Authority a greater role and not require it to reform. Such efforts could cause this fragile peace agreement to collapse. (I wrote an October 31 American Greatness article on this issue.)
President Trump will ask Prime Minister Orbán to continue his strong support for the 20-point peace plan and will probably ask that Hungarian diplomats speak out against and block any proposals by the European Union to alter or weaken the 20-point Gaza War plan.
Ending the war in Ukraine will be the special focus of the Trump/Orbán meeting. Although Western European and Ukrainian leaders have complained that Orbán is biased against Ukraine, Hungary was chosen for the recently cancelled Trump-Putin summit on the war because Trump and Putin view Prime Minister Orbán as a neutral arbiter. Trump will strategize with Orbán on how to get Putin to make the compromises he is demanding before he will agree to a summit. Specifically, Trump wants Putin to agree to a cease-fire along the current battle lines. Trump is sure to ask Orbán to help him pressure Putin to accept these terms so the Budapest summit can be held. Trump also probably will press Orbán to agree to the proposed EU sanctions relief and economic deals for Ukraine.
Hungary and America have leaders who are both striving to make their nations great again and defend against globalism, far-left ideologies, and threats to their sovereignty. President Trump is fortunate to have a friend like Viktor Orbán, with whom he can partner to advance these critical goals and promote global security.
– – –
Fred Fleitz previously served as National Security Council chief of staff, a CIA analyst, and a House Intelligence Committee staff member. He is the vice chair of the America First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security.
Photo “Donald Trump and Viktor Orbán” by The White House.
