J. D. Vance landed at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The U.S. Vice President was greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó. The U.S. Vice President and his wife, Usha Vance, traveled to Budapest aboard Air Force Two.
Shortly before Vance’s arrival, Péter Szijjártó posted a video on his social media page, in which he noted that it had been 35 years since “we had welcomed such a high-ranking American guest.”
Hungary and the United States maintain a strategic partnership, particularly in the areas of energy policy and the economy, but there is also an ongoing exchange of views on the major issues facing Western civilization,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.
During his stay in the Hungarian capital, Vance will be staying at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence on Zugligeti út. Upon his arrival, he will meet with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with whom he is scheduled to hold a joint press conference starting at 1:20 p.m. The U.S. Vice President will then join the Prime Minister at a campaign event at the MTK Sportpark starting at 5:00 p.m.
The White House announced last Thursday that Vice President J. D. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, will visit Hungary on April 7 and 8. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Hungary for a visit in February. However, his visit yielded little in the way of specific results; the public portion of the meeting was thus more of a political gesture – a show of U.S. support for Orbán ahead of the upcoming elections.
Last month, US President Donald Trump called Orbán a “truly strong and powerful leader” on his social media page, sent a message of support for the CPAC Hungary conference, and last Tuesday, he posted another supportive message on Truth Social, in which he urged Hungarians to: “GO OUT AND VOTE FOR VIKTOR ORBÁN!”
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