There are many reasons for this, but one key factor is that Orbán has led his country in the way the most radical members of Trump’s circle would have liked him to lead the United States. Illiberal democracy as a guiding principle When Viktor Orbán led Fidesz to victory in 2010 on a wave of dissatisfaction with the political system, which was seen as insufficiently free, no one could have expected that he would become a model for dismantling freedoms for all groups deemed unsuitable. In his 16 years in power, Orbán has taken control of every aspect of Hungarian life, starting in 2011 with electoral reform, which he gradually refined into a kind of guarantee that Fidesz would remain in power with a two-thirds majority in parliament, despite the party receiving the support of just over half of the voters who turn out. At the same time, Hungarian society has been completely subordinated to the will of Fidesz and Orbán. Public contracts go to companies linked to Orbán, organizations critical of the government are banned, and the judiciary largely operates according to the ruling structures. Because of these circumstances, Orbán is a role model for MAGA, the group of radicals who follow Trump. Orbán’s system in the U.S. is MAGA’s dream They would most like the U.S. under Trump to look exactly like this, with a special emphasis on the concentration of power in one person. Members of the MAGA cult believe they can financially benefit in such a country, which explains their support for Orbán’s system of governance. Moreover, the way Orbán changed the electoral system, using the two-thirds majorities he gained in the previous three election cycles, is the unfulfilled dream of Trump and MAGA, ever since he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. Six years later, and this will continue in the coming years, MAGA still claims that Trump was robbed, and since the 2024 election victory, they have begun seeking a comprehensive electoral reform that would favor Republicans. It is hard to ignore the parallel between MAGA and Orbán in this regard, though their explanations differ. Orbán changed the system to, as he claimed, simplify the highly complicated method of electing state representatives, while MAGA claims that "the Democratic Party steals elections" and that the system must therefore be changed. While the explanations differ, the idea is the same: complete dominance and a guarantee of security even if a strong enough opposition emerges that is popular enough to come to power. If Orbán’s rule falls, it would also be a symbolic fall for the style of governance that Trump’s MAGA, which still believes people truly desire the illiberal democracy they aspire to in the U.S., champions. This is why U.S. Vice President JD Vance is visiting Hungary and why Trump has repeatedly expressed support for Orbán. It is also why Trump claims that any financial aid to Hungary will be conditional on Orbán’s victory. Regardless, voters in Hungary will have the opportunity to choose their future leadership, and if they support Magyar and Tisza, they could shatter Orbán’s illusion—and that of right-wingers worldwide—of an indestructible system of illiberal democracy.