With Trump’s Victory, Europe’s Populist Right Sees Return of a Fellow Believer
The New York Times
Viktor Orban of Hungary and other right-wing European politicians hail the return of a U.S. president who shares their tough views on issues like immigration.
For months, Hungary’s media apparatus pumped out stories lionizing Donald J. Trump and deriding Kamala Harris, described in one headline as “extremely unpleasant.”
In October, the country’s leader vowed to “open several bottles of Champagne if Trump is back.” And then, as U.S. voters went to the polls, scores of his supporters gathered for a celebratory party in Budapest before the results were even called.
No foreign leader gambled so heavily or publicly on a Trump victory as Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary. A fervent fan of the U.S. president-elect, Mr. Orban has greeted the election results with unrestrained glee.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Mr. Orban said he had “only partly delivered on his promise” about Champagne: He was in Kyrgyzstan when the result came through, and mostly drank vodka to “share our joy at this fantastic result.” He told his followers on X that he had already spoken with the president-elect, adding: “We have big plans.”
For Mr. Orban and like-minded populist European politicians in Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia and elsewhere, this week’s election not only returned a fellow believer in tough immigration policies to the White House. It also sent a message to their own constituencies that history is moving in their direction and that political rivals they revile as woke, out-of-touch elitists are on the run.
“Politically this is a big win for Mr. Orban: He gambled and he won,” said Zsombor Zeold, a former Hungarian diplomat. More broadly, he said, the election of Mr. Trump “definitely puts wind in the sails of Europe’s populist right.”
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Viktor Orban of Hungary and other right-wing European politicians hail the return of a U.S. president who shares their tough views on issues like immigration.
Another Trump term could spur Europe’s efforts to stand on its own, but it is far from clear its leaders will seize the moment this time.
Donald J. Trump has said he would transform America’s relationship with both allies and adversaries. Notably, he has pledged to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, increase tariffs and deport millions.