PM Viktor Orbán and U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance
“We must not allow faceless bureaucrats in Brussels and foreign countries to dictate how Hungarians should live,” urged U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance in his speech at the “Hungarian-American Friendship 2026” rally during his visit to Budapest on Tuesday.
At the beginning of J. D. Vance’s speech, U.S. President Donald Trump called in. Speaking about the Hungarian prime minister, he said Viktor Orbán is a fantastic person and that they have a great relationship. “Remember, unlike others who have ruined their own countries, he did not allow your country to be stormed,” he emphasized.
He has treated the country and its people well and has done a fantastic job,”
the U.S. president noted.
J. D. Vance noted that this was his second trip to Budapest, but his first in an official capacity. He emphasized that relations between the United States and Hungary have reached new heights, ranging from energy security and business and economic cooperation to cultural ties.
J. D. Vance. Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Fõosztály/Fischer Zoltán
Addressing the Hungarian people, he stated that he had come to Hungary because he admires their struggle for freedom and sovereignty. He also assured the Hungarians of his own support and that of President Trump in this struggle.
We want nothing more, and ask for nothing more, than to be allies against those who try to oppress Hungary,”
he emphasized.
“In 2016, when the rest of Europe opened its doors, Hungary said no. When foreign activists came to erase your traditions, you said no. And when war broke out in your neighborhood, you kindly and generously opened your communities, homes, and hospitals, but you never forgot the needs of your own people, because in Hungary, Hungarians must always come first,” he emphasized.
The “Hungarian-American Friendship 2026” rally. Photo: Hungary Today
Turning to the upcoming Hungarian elections, J. D. Vance stressed that the election results must be determined without external influence. He emphasized that you must not listen to the bureaucrats in Brussels, “listen to your hearts, your souls, and listen to the sovereignty of the Hungarian people.” “Unlike certain leaders in Brussels, I am not making threats, and I am not telling you that I will withhold funds to which you are legally entitled,” he added.
J. D. Vance. Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Fõosztály/Fischer Zoltán
In his speech, he portrayed Viktor Orbán as a leader who actively defends national decision-making in energy policy, resists external pressure, and thereby secures tangible economic benefits for his country. According to J. D. Vance, ensuring energy independence is just as important for preserving sovereignty as protecting borders, controlling migration, and maintaining economic self-determination.
He argued that Viktor Orbán’s example proves that even a European country of 10 million people can preserve its sovereignty, including energy independence, and that this “raises uncomfortable questions” for the Brussels elite, who believe there is no alternative to their own policies.
The American leader pointed out that in a week’s time, Hungarians will have to choose: “whether to bow down before tyranny or to act once again in the spirit of King Saint Stephen.”
Speaking of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, he emphasized that he is a leader who “feels genuine pride in his culture, way of life, and his country’s history, who is capable of fighting to preserve all of this and who wants to build a better future.” He stated that these values are far more important than partisanship.
J. D. Vance. MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Fõosztály/Kaiser Ákos
“U.S. President Donald Trump and I stand with Hungary, and we are fighting side by side for and with the man who has done more than anyone else to preserve the values of civilization, and that man is none other than Prime Minister Viktor Orbán,” Vance declared.
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J. D. Vance also recalled the memory of Mihály Kováts, a hussar colonel who fought in the American War of Independence, as well as Lajos Kossuth, a freedom fighter from the 1848 Revolution, who was welcomed in the United States as a star and who, as only the second foreigner in the country’s history, was allowed to address both houses of Congress, and whose statue stands in the American capital.“We believe this will be the century of the Hungarians,” declared Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his speech, recalling the shared history of the two nations’ struggles for freedom, as well as the fact that many Hungarians, in search of freedom, have found a new home and successful careers in America.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the event. Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Fõosztály/Fischer Zoltán
The prime minister said that Hungarian-American friendship is once again shining in its former glory. He explained that the friendship between Americans and Hungarians had survived even those difficult years when American Democrats sought to transform the thousand-year-old Christian nation of Hungary into a progressive left-wing country.
He emphasized that this turning point was thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump, who put an end to the power of the globalist elite that had ruled in the name of ideologies and heralded the era of strong nations.
Viktor Orbán pointed out: the American president’s success sends a message to Europe as well that the national interest does not isolate, but strengthens. Nations share common goals: to be strong, to be independent, and to remain free. We will not allow others to decide our fate; we will realize our own plans, the prime minister stated.
In listing the results of this cooperation, Viktor Orbán noted that visa-free travel to the United States has been restored, that the two countries are cooperating in the areas of the economy, defense, and innovation, and that they have launched joint energy programs.
Two sovereign nations are working together to make the world a better place for their people, and this is grounded in a love of freedom,”
the Hungarian prime minister said.
He stated: we have every reason to send our heartfelt best wishes from here in Budapest and to wish the American president every success. He pointed out: besides the president, there is someone else without whom they could not be standing here today, J.D. Vance, in whom Hungary has found a special friend.
PM Viktor Orbán. Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Fõosztály/Fischer Zoltán
Viktor Orbán explained: J.D. Vance wrote about how progressive liberalism turns its back on the problems of ordinary people even back when it was forbidden to speak of such things. He wrote: despite all the feigned social sensitivity, the left ultimately always turns on its own people, he said.
He noted: the U.S. vice president also said that danger lurks within Europe; Europe will not be defeated by an external enemy, but will be brought to its knees by internal forces.
He emphasized that Europe is facing both a financial and an energy crisis, and if it does not change its policies, it will emerge defeated from both—and then “the cradle of the Western world will be swept away forever in the whirlwind of history.”
That is why we, freedom-loving Americans and Hungarians, must join forces to save Western civilization. To do this, we must fight the progressives entrenched in Brussels, bring an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war, and resolve the energy crisis, Viktor Orbán declared.
Via MTI; Featured photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Fõosztály/Fischer Zoltán
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