The relationship between the two leaders dates back to 2016, when Orbán supported Donald Trump in the US presidential election.
Now the favor is being paid back - Trump has sent his vice-presidential running mate JD Vance to campaign for the eurosceptic and critical-of-immigration Hungarian prime minister. Earlier this week, Vance said he “wants to help Orbán as much as possible in the election campaign.” On Friday night, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Orbán is a “true friend” who has his full support for re-election.
There are realpolitik reasons - you get help one time, and then you support the other the next time, says Hungary expert Sara Svensson.
According to Jan Hallenberg, professor emeritus of political science and expert on the United States, Trump and Vance believe that direct US support can influence the election outcome.
It's hard to know whether it does or not. It's remarkable that an American president would interfere in an election campaign in Europe.
“Masculine rhetoric”
In addition to political pragmatism, there are social psychological explanations for the friendship between the leaders, Svensson believes.
That they like each other's styles. They actually have quite uneven political profiles.
It's more about personal traits.
The emphasis on the masculine that they both have - it is obvious that when Orbán speaks he uses masculine rhetoric. Politics is described as a struggle or a war - it is about winning the next battle.
What does Trump gain?
Viktor Orbán is often described as Europe's troublemaker. The fact that he sometimes gets in the way could be positive for the US president, according to Svensson.
Trump is not exactly the one pushing for unifying the EU. For him, it is not a disadvantage that there is a little friction - then he can work bilaterally with the different countries.
Donald Trump wants a Europe that is as similar as possible to what he is trying to achieve in the United States, says Jan Hallenberg.
He dreams of a Europe ruled by “patriotic parties” like Alternative for Germany, National Rally in France, and Viktor Orbán.
Sunday's election will be important for that vision.
Orbán is the representative of that line. If he falls, Trump's project to make as many parts of Europe as possible patriotic will become much more difficult, says Hallenberg.
