President Trump hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the White House, highlighting what was framed as a significant meeting between the two conservative leaders about a year into Trump’s second term.
A major focus of their discussions was Orbán’s appeal for a waiver that would allow Hungary to continue importing Russian crude oil, which is not under U.S. sanctions.
Trump also took the opportunity to address domestic concerns, including the messaging from his administration about affordability and reiterating his call for Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster.
Here are five key points from the meeting between Trump and Orbán.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Orbán share a friendly exchange
The public part of their meeting felt somewhat like a mutual admiration society, with both leaders being perceived as allies on a global scale.
Trump praised Orbán as a “great leader” and welcomed him warmly into the White House. Orbán, benefiting significantly from the discussions, referred to a “golden era” in U.S.-Hungarian relations during Trump’s presidency.
“What we need is a golden age,” Orbán said while sitting next to Trump, calling it an “Opening of a Golden Age of U.S.-Hungarian Relations.”
During the conversation, the Hungarian leader criticized former President Biden, likely something Trump appreciated.
Trump defended Orbán against European critics concerning Budapest’s democratic backsliding, stating, “He’s a great leader and he’s respected around the world… He didn’t make any mistakes at immigration.” He criticized Europe’s approach to immigration, suggesting it was harming them significantly.
Trump again advocates for abolishing the filibuster
Trump renewed his push for Senate Republicans to do away with the filibuster during the meeting.
He has recently urged Republican leaders to scrap this parliamentary procedure, prompting concerns about potential negative ramifications should the Democrats regain power in future elections.
“The Democrats are going to do this, so if they plan to, Republicans should do it first,” Trump argued. “If we do that, we’ll never lose a midterm or general election, because we’ve achieved so much for our people.” He mentioned that adopting this approach could facilitate the passage of Republican-backed legislation.
While the filibuster allows the minority party to block legislation, some GOP leaders, such as Majority Leader John Thune, have cautioned that abolishing it might lead to adverse outcomes in the future.
However, some Republican senators, including Jim Banks, Roger Marshall, and Tommy Tuberville, are leaning toward the idea of abolishing the rule, although Thune indicated that there aren’t enough votes for a repeal currently.
Discussion around Hungary’s oil purchases from Russia
Trump seemed uncertain about urging Orbán to reduce reliance on Russian oil and gas, despite Orbán advocating for Europe to end its dependence on Russian energy.
He criticized Europe collectively and appeared to support Hungary’s claim regarding its reliance on a significant pipeline for oil from Russia, even as some critics argue that Hungary hasn’t made real efforts to diversify its energy sources.
“They don’t have the advantage of having an ocean… Hungary is in a different position, but many European countries have been buying oil and gas from Russia for years,” Trump said, highlighting that Hungary and Slovakia remain the only EU nations still importing Russian crude while others have suspended purchases. In October, the EU announced plans to stop Russian gas imports by 2024 and eliminate oil imports by 2028.
Trump irritated by a question about Thanksgiving meals
During the meeting, Trump became visibly irritated when an NBC News reporter inquired about the size and cost of Walmart’s Thanksgiving meals.
He dismissed the report stating the meals would be smaller compared to the previous year, labeling it “fake news,” and asserted that Americans “feel better about this country.”
Trump used the pricing of this year’s meals to bolster his claim that prices have decreased under his administration.
He mentioned in a post on TruthSocial that the topic of affordability was “dead” for Democrats, again referencing Walmart’s holiday meal costs. However, he didn’t address that the meals this year contain fewer items and some are substituted with Walmart brands, making them less expensive than last year’s offerings.
Trump’s remarks came after Democrats had notable electoral successes largely by prioritizing affordability issues, a strategy that Republicans had also employed successfully in the last presidential election.
The annual inflation rate, as of September, was 3%, mirroring the rate when Trump took office, indicating ongoing price increases consistent with the latter part of Biden’s administration.
Trump and Orbán agree on criticizing Biden
Despite some differences regarding Russian oil imports, the camaraderie between Trump and Orbán was clear during their luncheon before the press.
Orbán expressed his grievances about Biden’s administration, claiming it had “ruined everything” in U.S.-Hungarian bilateral relations over the past four years.
He noted that visa restrictions imposed by Biden’s administration on Hungarian passport holders stemmed from Hungary’s naturalization policies. Orbán had only visited Washington once during Biden’s tenure and attended a NATO summit in July 2024.
“Everything was basically broken, messed up, canceled, and a lot of harm was done by the previous government,” Orbán stated.
Orbán also humorously suggested he would like to recruit White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt after witnessing Trump’s enthusiastic defense of his policies and pushback against the press.
Trump jokingly replied, “That’s a very good decision you just made,” with no sign of wanting to part with Leavitt.
