Budapest Visit Highlights Gap Between Orban’s Global Ambitions and Hungary’s Domestic Hardship

An op-ed argues JD Vance’s Budapest visit before Hungary’s parliamentary elections underscored a widening gap between Viktor Orban’s international push—backed by a MAGA-style alliance—and voters’ mounting domestic pains, including healthcare collapse and rising living costs; with Peter Magyar’s Tisza party reshaping the race, the visit did little to sway undecided voters or boost Orban’s standing, despite arms and oil deals and talk of future U.S. engagement.