STORY
Donald Trump has been dealt an embarrassing setback in Europe after openly backing Viktor Orbán, only for the Hungarian Prime Minister to be swept from office in a landmark election defeat. Partial results reported by Reuters showed the opposition Tisza party, led by Péter Magyar, on course for a commanding parliamentary majority, ending Orbán’s 16 years in power and marking one of the most dramatic reversals yet for a European leader closely associated with Trump’s brand of nationalist politics.
Orbán had become one of Trump’s most prominent allies in Europe, admired by the MAGA movement for his “illiberal democracy” model and praised during the campaign by Trump and other senior figures in his orbit. But Hungarian voters turned instead to Magyar’s pro-EU, centre-right challenge, with record turnout reflecting deep frustration over economic stagnation, rising living costs and corruption. Reuters reported that Orbán himself conceded what he called a painful defeat.