‘A Terrible, Crazy Mistake!’ House Republican Shreds JD Vance Going to Hungary to Stump for Viktor Orbán

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) slammed Vice President JD Vance for the “terrible, crazy mistake” of going to Hungary to stump for the country’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who is seeking re-election.

Vance arrived in the Hungarian capital of Budapest Tuesday morning “to help [Orbán] in this campaign cycle” and offered the prime minister his endorsement, while also delivering a broadside at the European Union.

The prime minister has emerged as a pivotal figure for both the Trump administration and Moscow, with each viewing him as a key ally.

For President Donald Trump, Orbán, a longstanding Euroskeptic, represents a leader aligned as a consistent counterweight to the European Union, frustrating the bloc on major issues. From Moscow’s perspective, Orbán has played a significant role in slowing or complicating EU action against Russia by delaying sanctions packages and holding up major financial support measures for Ukraine.

Bacon, who revealed that he had Hungarian ancestry, appeared on CNN on Wednesday, the second day of Vance’s public visit, to call the move a “dumb mistake” as he urged the vice president to “get out” of the country “ASAP”:

Prime Minister Orban is the most friendly country in Europe to Russia. They’ve done more to undermine Ukraine and NATO than any other country right now, other than maybe Russia itself, but the most NATO country that has tried to undermine NATO with from within.

I think it’s a crazy, terrible mistake to go into someone else’s country and campaign for one of the candidates over the other. We don’t want people interfering in our elections. We’ve seen where people have tried that. We don’t like it. I guarantee you, the Hungarians don’t like the United States going in there and messing with their elections. That’s what Russia does. That’s what China does. So I would encourage the administration to get the heck out of Hungary. Let the people there determine their own elections.

The House Republican warned that if the opposition wins, Vance’s campaigning on behalf of Orbán could set back relations:

And what happens if the other side wins? They’re going to say, ‘oh, the president, the administration of America supported my opponent.’ How’s that going to play out for years to come?

I think it’s a dumb mistake to get involved in other people’s domestic and internal politics, particularly democracy, where people are going to vote. It sends a terrible message. I think the vice president should get out of Hungary ASAP and I’d prefer them negotiating with Iran than doing what he’s doing in Hungary.

Watch above via CNN.

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