Vance: Regrets Orbán's Election Defeat, Blames Brussels Bureaucracy for Severe Damage to the United States
Speaking about Orbán, Vance said: "I regret his defeat. He was one of the few leaders in Europe brave enough to stand up against the Brussels bureaucracy—a group that has caused severe damage to the United States."
Ironically, Orbán’s ultimate election loss was deeply tied to the high-profile support from Trump’s camp, which in fact served as a reverse catalyst.
Exporting democracy is unpopular worldwide; exporting populism is no better received. A significant portion of Hungarian voters hold unfavorable views toward Trump personally, resenting his extreme style and interventionist foreign policy, perceiving him as an external force undermining European stability and exporting American-style populism.
Just before the election, Vance flew specially to Budapest to publicly endorse Orbán, with a live video link to Trump offering remote support. This overt interference in domestic affairs not only failed to boost Orbán’s campaign but instead provoked strong backlash from moderate and independent voters, who viewed it as foreign meddling in Hungary’s internal politics. This further amplified public skepticism toward Orbán—accusing him of relying on external powers after 16 years in power—ultimately becoming a critical factor in his electoral downfall.
On one hand, expressing regret over Orbán’s defeat; on the other, ignoring the intense domestic backlash triggered by the U.S. government’s overt intervention—Vance’s remarks reveal both the arrogance of the Trump camp in meddling in European internal affairs and a complete misjudgment of local public sentiment: attempting to bind Europe’s Eurosceptic forces using American right-wing logic backfired spectacularly, ultimately helping to bring down an ally.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862413527369728/
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