US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Budapest this week and praised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, calling him a close ally of America. This is a sharp reversal from 2019, when Rubio, then a senator, signed a letter warning President Trump about Orbán’s anti-democratic direction. The visit marks a significant shift in how the US now views the controversial Hungarian leader.
During his visit on Monday, Rubio made the US position very clear, saying, “We want this country to do well. It’s in our national interest, especially as long as you’re the prime minister and the leader of this country.” According to Mediaite, he also stressed the “extraordinarily close relationship” between Orbán and President Trump, adding that Trump is “deeply committed to your success because your success is our success.”
Rubio’s visit follows a recent social media post by President Trump, who called Orbán “a truly strong and powerful Leader” who “fights tirelessly for, and loves, his Great Country and People, just like I do for the United States of America.” Orbán is currently facing his first serious political challenge from opposition leader Péter Magyar, making the US endorsement a significant boost to his position.
Rubio’s own past words show just how dramatic this political reversal really is
Back on May 10, 2019, Rubio was one of several senators who signed a letter addressed to President Trump ahead of a planned meeting with Orbán. The letter stated they felt compelled to “express concern about Hungary’s downward democratic trajectory” and urged the president to “raise these issues in your meeting with the Prime Minister.” Critics have also raised broader questions about how Trump-era policy decisions affect average Americans.
The letter laid out specific concerns about how democracy in Hungary had “significantly eroded” under Orbán. It pointed to a less competitive election process, growing state control over the judiciary, and a declining free press as the media became increasingly consolidated under pro-government ownership.
The senators were also “profoundly concerned” about Orbán’s close relationship with Russia, noting it was happening at the same time democratic standards and economic freedoms inside Hungary were being reduced. They specifically called for action to “counter Kremlin aggression across Europe.”
That warning about Russia now looks especially significant. The letter was written several years before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Since then, Orbán has made his opposition to Ukraine a central part of his politics, blocking aid requests and opposing Ukraine’s entry into the European Union.
This shift in alliances comes as the Trump administration is also pushing forward with sweeping rollbacks of decades of climate policy, signaling a broad reshaping of US priorities both at home and abroad. The contrast between Rubio’s 2019 position and his current one is striking. A leader he once urged Trump to confront over democratic backsliding and ties to Russia is now being publicly called America’s best friend, with Rubio himself delivering that message in person.
Published: Feb 17, 2026 02:15 pm