Vance makes time to visit Hungary to support Orbán amid Iran negotiations | CNN Politics

The war with Iran is raging, gas prices are rising and spending battles endure on Capitol Hill. So why is the No. 2 man in the White House in Budapest? Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Hungary this week, days ahead of the country’s national elections, is officially intended to deepen ties with the nation of 10 million. Inside Hungary, however, the visit is viewed mainly as an attempt to boost longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose grip on power is facing its biggest test in years. Endorsed by President Donald Trump and hailed as a model for the rest of Europe by US administration officials, the nationalist, pro-Russia Orbán and his party are trailing in polls behind the opposition ahead of Sunday’s contest. Indeed, the two adminstrations have drawn so close in recent years that Orbán told reporters this period was a “golden era” of US-Hungary relations, marked by growing economic and defense cooperation. Meanwhile, Vance underlined the “moral cooperation” between the two adminstrations, explicitly referring to the “Christian civilization and Christian values” they share at a joint press conference on Tuesday. It’s unusual for a high-profile American of