BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) 鈥� The leaders of over a dozen European far-right parties gathered in Hungary’s capital on Monday in a show of support for Prime Minister , a nationalist figure beloved by U.S. and European conservatives whose performance in a pivotal election in April could set the tone for the movement’s future.
Orb谩n, who retook power in Hungary in 2010, has long been seen as a key figure in the global far right, well before U.S. President Donald Trump entered the 2016 presidential race.
The Hungarian leader’s political successes 鈥� four straight election victories, his broad takeover of Hungarian government institutions, and academia, and his emphasis on family values 鈥� led many in the U.S. and Europe to of far-right dominance.
But three weeks before , most surveys show Orb谩n is lagging behind a center-right challenger 鈥� a sign that his 16-year reign, and his influence over the conservative movement, could be drawing to a close.
Kim Lane Scheppele, a professor of sociology and international affairs at Princeton University, said that while Orb谩n has both 鈥済ained a huge amount of power in Europe鈥� and become a darling of Trump’s MAGA movement, he has a lot at stake in the upcoming election.
鈥淗ungary is this kind of proof of concept that the MAGA kind of politics can work,鈥� Scheppele said. 鈥淚f Orb谩n loses, then it loses some of that luster.鈥�
Patriots for Europe
The gathering in Budapest on Monday was an assembly of , a group set up in 2024 by Orb谩n and his far-right allies.
It is the third-largest group within the European Parliament. Its member parties, from 13 EU countries, share a strong opposition to immigration, a preference for national sovereignty over European integration, and adherence to conservative social values.
At the gathering were figures such as France’s , Italy’s and of the Netherlands. One by one, each of the 13 speakers took the stage to praise Orb谩n and urge Hungarians to vote for him and his Fidesz party at the April 12 election.
Le Pen, who is that found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds, said Orb谩n had stood strong on issues like 鈥渋mmigration, identity and sovereignty.鈥� She said Hungary had become 鈥渁n emblem of the resistance of a proud and sovereign people to oppression.鈥�
鈥淥n April 12, you will send a new message of strength and determination to tired old technocrats in Brussels,鈥� she told the crowd.
The Patriots group has curried favor with Trump and his MAGA movement, and have rallied under the slogan 鈥淢ake Europe Great Again.鈥� Orb谩n has long predicted a far-right nationalist takeover in Europe, and portrayed the Patriots as the vehicle for achieving that aim.
At the assembly in Budapest, Orb谩n said the Patriots 鈥渁re talking openly about wanting to take control of the European Union. We want to occupy and transform the center of Brussels.鈥�
Scheppele, the Princeton professor, said Orb谩n has been key to some of the European far-right’s success since he’s been able to use the power of the Hungarian state and its financial resources to support their aims.
鈥淗ungary has been really important because it鈥檚 been governed for 16 years by somebody trying to build this movement, and that means that it鈥檚 kind of a safe haven,鈥� she said.
Make Europe Great Again
Orb谩n has expanded his influence beyond Europe’s borders. He and Trump have long been mutual fans, and have exchanged a steady stream of public compliments and backing for one another’s political campaigns.
In one sign of Orb谩n’s continued sway among U.S. conservatives, Budapest on Saturday hosted the fifth Hungarian iteration of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). There, Orb谩n said the West was undergoing 鈥渢he greatest political realignment of the past hundred years.鈥�
鈥淭he epicenter of this realignment, its center of power, is the United States, and its forward base in Europe is Hungary,鈥� he said.
In a video message to CPAC, Trump endorsed Orb谩n鈥檚 run for reelection, and praised his defense of 鈥測our borders, your culture, your heritage, your sovereignty, and your values.鈥�
There have been striking parallels between what Orb谩n accomplished in Hungary and what Trump鈥檚 supporters hoped the president鈥檚 second term could usher in the United States, Scheppele said.
鈥淎 lot of the inspiration for the way that MAGA launched itself and developed a kind of political program to consolidate power very quickly was modeled on Orb谩n,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hese are really interlocking networks and I think that the (Hungarian) election therefore looms very large in the MAGA political imagination.鈥�
Orb谩n鈥檚 political troubles 鈥� spurred on by a chronically , crumbling social services and increasingly salient 鈥� have coincided with struggles for Trump鈥檚 movement.
As the Hungarian election approaches and the U.S. president risks losing one of his most public and stalwart international fans, Trump himself is reeling from falling poll numbers amid the and an whose popularity has been rapidly slipping.
His Republican Party is bracing for significant losses in November鈥檚 midterm elections.
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Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi contributed from Denver, Colorado.
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