Putin’s ‘Mouse’ Is Gone. That’s Terrible News for MAGA World

Hungary’s Viktor Orban pulled almost every lever available to extend his 16 years in power. In the end, neither an in-person endorsement from US Vice President JD Vance nor a captive media machine was enough to save the man who admits playing “mouse” to Vladimir Putin’s “lion.” While more of a tilt back westward for the country rather than a radical new path, this election result is a warning for the European Union’s MAGA fan club. Ideally, it will help the bloc become more credible and competitive.

Orban’s defeat shows the rise and rise of “illiberal democracy” is not inevitable. The crowded celebrations along the Danube, and the record voter turnout, speak to a disconnection between the Hungary he claimed to defend and people’s lived experience.