President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met at the White House on November 7, 2025, marking a significant restoration of U.S.-Hungary relations that both leaders characterized as opening a “golden age” between their nations.
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Executive Summary
President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met at the White House on November 7, 2025, marking a significant restoration of U.S.-Hungary relations that both leaders characterized as opening a “golden age” between their nations. The meeting centered on Hungary’s request for an exemption from sanctions on Russian oil and gas—a necessity Orbán attributed to Hungary’s landlocked geography and pipeline dependency—while Trump condemned other European nations for continuing Russian energy purchases despite having alternatives. The leaders found common ground on immigration policy, with Trump praising Hungary’s zero-tolerance approach while revealing that the European Union fines Hungary €1 million daily for blocking illegal migration. On Ukraine, both expressed confidence that the war would end soon, with Orbán arguing that European support for continuing the conflict stemmed from misguided pressure from the previous Biden administration. The meeting also evolved into a wide-ranging discussion of U.S. domestic politics, with Trump defending his economic record against Democratic criticism, claiming Walmart data showed Thanksgiving costs were 25 percent cheaper than under Biden, and making an aggressive push for Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster—a move he argued would allow passage of voter ID requirements, restrictions on mail-in voting, and other conservative priorities while resolving the ongoing government shutdown within “10 minutes.”
Participants
Donald Trump – President of the United States
Viktor Orbán – Prime Minister of Hungary
Pete Hegseth – U.S. Secretary of Defense
Karoline Leavitt – White House Press Secretary
Multiple members of the press, including reporters from NBC News, Hungarian media outlets, and other international news organizations
Detailed Analysis
Opening Remarks and Restoration of U.S.-Hungary Relations
President Trump opened the meeting with effusive praise for Prime Minister Orbán, calling him “a very powerful man within his country” who is also “beloved” by the Hungarian people. Trump emphasized that Hungary under Orbán’s leadership “has no crime” and described their planned discussion topics: trade, the Russia-Ukraine situation, and energy prices.
Orbán reciprocated by expressing gratitude for being invited back to the White House after a six-year absence, explaining that the purpose of his visit was to “open a new chapter between the bilateral relations of United States and Hungary.” He characterized the Biden administration period in stark terms, stating that “during the Democrat administration everything was ruined” and that after Trump left office previously, “everything was basically broke, ruined, canceled, a lot of harm done by the previous administration.”
The Hungarian Prime Minister praised Trump’s first ten months back in office, saying Trump had “restored the old level of the relationship” and “repaired what was done badly by the previous administration.” Orbán framed their goal as opening “a golden age between United States and Hungary,” proposing cooperation in three areas: economic, military, and political.
The Russian Energy Exemption Controversy
The most substantive policy discussion centered on Hungary’s request for an exemption from sanctions on Russian oil and gas—a request that highlights the complex energy dependencies affecting European security policy.
When a reporter asked if Trump was prepared to grant Hungary an exemption for oil coming from Russia, the President responded that he was “looking at it” because Hungary faces unique geographic constraints. “They don’t have the advantage of having sea,” Trump explained. “It’s a great country. It’s a big country, but they don’t have sea. They don’t have the ports and so they have a difficult problem.”
However, Trump also used this question to criticize other European nations, noting that “many European countries are buying oil and gas from Russia and they have been for years.” He expressed frustration that “we’re helping them and they’re going and buying oil and gas from Russia,” distinguishing Hungary’s situation as different because of its geographic limitations.
Orbán provided detailed technical explanation of Hungary’s pipeline infrastructure, responding to a reporter’s question about why the Croatian pipeline couldn’t meet Hungary’s needs. He separated the issue into two categories: gas and oil. For natural gas, Orbán explained that “90 percent of the Hungarian households based on heating system based on gas,” and Hungary has “only one pipeline delivering gas to Hungary, which is the main pipeline, the Turkish one.” The Croatian pipeline, he clarified, provides only “a very small volume supplementary gas.”
For oil, Orbán explained that supply comes primarily from the Druzhba pipeline (a Soviet-era pipeline whose name means “friendship” in Russian), with the Croatian pipeline serving as a secondary source. He expressed interest in convincing the Croatian government to “enlarge it and make it possible to deliver more,” but noted that “under the circumstances, it cannot be the main pipeline.”
This technical discussion illuminates a key tension in European energy policy: Hungary’s genuine infrastructure constraints versus the political complications of maintaining Russian energy imports while NATO allies seek to isolate Russia economically. The phrase “pipeline is not an ideological political issue, it’s a physical reality” captured Orbán’s argument that Hungary’s position differs from that of nations with more diverse energy access options.
Immigration Policy and EU Sanctions Against Hungary
Immigration emerged as perhaps the area of strongest alignment between Trump and Orbán, with both leaders using it to criticize European Union policies and the broader European establishment.
Trump praised Orbán’s immigration stance repeatedly throughout the meeting, arguing that “if you look at Europe, they made tremendous mistakes on immigration.” He claimed that “it’s really hurting them very badly” while “he has not made a mistake on immigration.” Trump connected immigration to public safety, asserting that Hungary has maintained low crime rates while European countries that accepted more migrants have seen crime increase.
A reporter from Hungary asked whether the meeting might change the European Union’s approach to Hungary, particularly regarding penalties related to immigration policy. This prompted Orbán to reveal a striking detail: Hungary faces daily financial penalties from the EU for its border policies.
“In Hungary, the number of illegal migration is like that zero—zero—because we have a crystal clear system,” Orbán explained. “If somebody would like to come to Hungary first, he should ask for that. If he give the permission they can step in, nobody can step on the territory of Hungary without having a permission from the Hungarian authorities.”
He then disclosed the consequences: “We are under sanctions, financial sanctions of European Union because we don’t let the illegal migrations to come to Hungary and to the European Union as well. So we have to pay, just to inform you, we have to pay every day €1 million as a punishment to the Brazilian budget because we stopped the migrants.” (Note: Orbán likely meant “Brussels budget” rather than “Brazilian budget,” referring to the EU’s central budget administration.)
Orbán summarized this situation as “the absurd world we are living now in Europe,” framing Hungary as being punished for enforcing what he considers proper border security.
Trump strongly endorsed Orbán’s position in his response to press questions, saying he tells European leaders “they should respect this man.” He argued that European countries “wish they did what he did” and that “they would have no problems if they did what he did.” Trump claimed that “some of those countries had no crime ten years ago and now they have quite a bit of crime,” attributing this change to immigration policy.
Interestingly, Orbán clarified that he was not asking Trump to intervene in Hungary’s conflicts with the EU. “I’m not here to ask President Trump to manage my conflicts or our conflicts with the European Union,” he stated. “This is our matter. So we will do it. What we need is a golden age to open a golden age of the United States-Hungarian relationship.” He added with confidence: “I’m the longest serving prime minister of Europe. I survived all the prime ministers who attacked us and I’m sure we will survive next years as well.”
Ukraine War and Peace Efforts
The Russia-Ukraine war figured prominently in the discussion, with both leaders expressing optimism about ending the conflict while criticizing previous U.S. and European approaches.
Orbán identified Ukraine as “the main issue” given that Hungary neighbors the war zone. He offered to “discuss with you how we can contribute to help you in your peace efforts,” and Trump acknowledged that Hungary has “taken a lot of Ukrainians that needed your help.”
When asked about meetings with Putin and prospects for peace, Trump revealed his thinking about the fundamental obstacle to a settlement: “The basic dispute is they just don’t want to stop yet.” He provided casualty figures, stating that “they’re losing 7,000 soldiers a week” and that “between the two of them” Russia is actually “losing more soldiers.”
Trump emphasized that for him, ending the war is not primarily about economics: “It’s not economic, it’s not money. In fact, we don’t spend any money. We send it to NATO, they pay us for our missiles and for our military and everything else.” This marked a significant claim about restructuring how U.S. military assistance to Ukraine is financed, contrasting with what he characterized as Biden’s approach of spending “$350 billion” with nothing to show for it.
Both leaders agreed that the war would never have occurred under a Trump presidency. “This war would never have happened if I were president,” Trump stated. Orbán strongly concurred: “No question that, if that time the name of the United States president would have been Donald Trump, there would be no war between Ukraine and Russia. That’s clear.”
Orbán went further, arguing that the Biden administration actively contributed to European escalation of the conflict. “Without the pressure coming from the United States government, I’m speaking 2022, the Europeans would not take that hard line what they have today on the war,” he contended. He noted that initially, major European countries “rejected to be involved more than just sending some humanitarian issues,” but “the pressure coming from the United States to be more pro-war in Europe” changed this dynamic.
This led Orbán to frame his current role as corrective: “That’s the reason why I’m here to be as much as helpful as I can to contribute to the peace efforts of the president, because that was an enormous mistake, what we have done. I mean, the Western world several years ago and we have to stop it.”
Trump made an incendiary claim about Biden’s role: “Biden actually pushed for that war to happen, OK, if you can believe it.” He lamented Ukraine’s current state: “Look what’s happened to Ukraine. It’s a much smaller country. A lot of people are dead.”
Regarding the war’s duration, Trump expressed frustration: “That war should have been a one-week war. I don’t know why it’s taken—this is four years. Should have been one week, should have been over with.”
When asked whether Ukraine could win the war, Orbán responded diplomatically but pessimistically: “You know, miracle can happen.” He explained that Western disunity hampers peace efforts: “The problem is that the president has huge efforts which are just splendid and very positive for the European continent and all the peoples of Europe. But at the same time, we are not unified because Brussels and the Europeans have a different approach to the war.” He characterized the U.S. and Hungary as “the only pro-peace government” in the Western alliance, with other governments preferring to “continue to war because many of them think that Ukraine can win on the front line, which is a misunderstanding of the situation.”
A reporter asked about holding a peace summit in Budapest. Trump expressed interest in this venue: “I’d like to keep it in Hungary, in Budapest.” He explained that he initially “didn’t want to do that meeting because I didn’t think anything was going to be happening of significance,” but if substantive discussions emerge, “I’d like to do it in Budapest.”
NATO, European Relations, and Troop Deployments
Questions about U.S. troop deployments in Europe prompted clarifications from both Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
A reporter noted that Trump had previously said he would not withdraw U.S. troops from Europe, yet the Pentagon recently announced withdrawal of a significant number of troops from Romania. Asked if he had “changed his mind or the Pentagon ignored his assurance,” Trump responded firmly: “No, they don’t ignore anything that I say.”
He explained that while the total number of troops remains the same, “we move people around.” Expressing his regard for Romania, Trump said “I happen to like the Romanian people. I think they’re great people,” then turned to Secretary Hegseth for elaboration.
Hegseth clarified: “Nothing was coordinated with the White House. It’s all part of the view that we have of Europe and there will remain troops in Romania, but there’s some change in how we rotate and how many we rotate.” He emphasized that the changes were coordinated with NATO Secretary General Rutte and throughout the command structure: “Everyone was notified in advance.”
Trump used this exchange to emphasize positive European relationships while reiterating his immigration criticism: “The relationship with Romania is very good. The relationship with Europe is very good. I disagree with what Europe is doing having to do with immigration, but I agree with them on many other subjects.”
He then highlighted what he characterized as a major trade achievement: “We just signed the biggest trade deal ever made with Europe, $950 billion. We were able to do it because of tariffs.” Trump characterized the previous arrangement as “very unfair” but said the new deal is “the single biggest trade deal ever signed.”
Regarding NATO burden-sharing, Trump claimed credit for a significant increase in member contributions: “Everyone, as you know, in NATO, they voted to go from 2 percent to 5 percent and, you know, that nobody thought that was possible. And we had just about almost other than Spain, a unanimous vote.”
Orbán’s Self-Definition as a “Modern Christian Government”
When a reporter asked about the meeting as symbolizing a transformation in conservative politics and the relationship between leaders like Orbán who “stand up to Brussels bureaucracy and the globalist agenda,” this prompted an important clarification from the Hungarian Prime Minister about political terminology.
Orbán noted potential misunderstanding in cross-cultural political discussion: “Your language is important because the Anglo-Saxon terminology is different from the European one, so to use categories can create some misunderstanding.”
He then provided his own framing: “We are the only government in Europe which considers itself as a modern Christian government. All the other governments in Europe are basically liberal leftist government.” Orbán explained that since 2010, Hungary has pursued an approach that differs “even at the philosophical level and the level of practice” from other European governments, citing immigration as an example.
“We are kind of a special island of difference in a liberal ocean in Europe,” he stated, emphasizing: “And we considered ourselves as a modern Christian government that’s—that’s the proper category to describe what we are doing.”
This self-definition positions Hungary explicitly in religious and cultural terms rather than the left-right or populist-establishment frameworks often used in American political discourse.
Economic Claims: The Walmart Thanksgiving Controversy
A significant portion of the meeting devolved into Trump defending his economic record, sparked by his opening claim about Thanksgiving costs and challenged by NBC News.
In his initial remarks, Trump stated: “I just saw that Walmart came out with a statement last night. They’ve done it for many years that Thanksgiving this year will cost 25 percent less than Thanksgiving last year under Sleepy Joe Biden.” He characterized this as representing broader economic trends, claiming it was “emblematic of the rest of prices.”
Trump connected this to energy policy, asserting: “We have energy down to a pretty low point right now in the United States. We’re drilling. Drill, baby, drill, we call it. But energy costs are very low.”
He also claimed: “Inflation is almost nonexistent. We have inflation down to a very low number, whereas Biden, as you know, is the worst inflation in the history of our country.”
When an NBC News reporter later challenged the Walmart claim, noting that the meal “is cheaper, but it also contains less,” Trump responded with hostility: “Who are you with?” After learning the reporter worked for NBC, he declared: “Fake news. NBC—you’re fake news. What a—NBC has gone down the tubes along with most of the rest of them.”
The reporter then asked: “Why do you think there’s such a disconnect between the economy that you’re describing day-to-day and the way many Americans say they are feeling and their concerned—”
Trump interrupted with a vigorous defense: “They feel much better about our country right now other than the shutdown, obviously, which is caused by the Democrats.” He cited job creation records and claimed “we have more investment in our country than any country in history,” stating that investment would reach “$18 trillion as of this moment” and potentially “$20 trillion or $21 trillion by the time I finish up my first year.” He contrasted this with Biden’s record: “Your friend Biden, as an example, in four years was less than a trillion.”
The exchange escalated when another reporter asked about affordability. Trump launched into an extended defense, repeatedly asking: “Do you remember that the Biden administration had the highest inflation in 48 years, but most people say ever recorded?”
He pressed the point on gasoline prices: “We’re going to be at $2 gasoline. We’re going to be approximately $2 very soon. We’re a little bit above $2 right now for gasoline. Now under Biden, it was $4.50, it even hit $5.00.”
Trump then called on Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to respond to what he characterized as “fake, disgusting” reporting about his position on affordability.
Leavitt provided a comprehensive defense: “It was very unfortunate that the reporters in this room refused to address what you just said, which is that you inherited the worst inflation crisis in modern American history and you are fixing it in 10 short months.” She emphasized that “your entire administration has been tasked with this effort from Treasury Department to Agriculture Department to the National Economic Council right here at the White House.”
This prompted a humorous moment when Orbán asked: “Can I get her for a month?” Trump responded: “Sure. Karoline, the prime minister would like you to work for him in Hungary.” After Orbán said “Please consider it,” Trump joked: “Please don’t leave us, Karoline.”
Government Shutdown and Spending Disputes
Throughout the meeting, Trump repeatedly referenced an ongoing government shutdown, blaming Democrats for refusing to pass Republican-supported spending measures.
“We have a shutdown, as you probably know, because the Democrats have gone—they’re crazy,” Trump stated early in the meeting. He claimed that Republicans “have approved it 14 times, we’ve approved a opening up 14 times and they keep rejecting it.”
Trump characterized the core dispute as Democrats wanting to “give $1.5 trillion to people that came into our country illegally” for medical care. “People that came from prisons. They came from mental institutions and drug dealers. They want to give them medical care $1.5 trillion, and we’re not going to do other things that they’re requesting also.”
When asked how long the shutdown would last, Trump replied: “I don’t know. It’s up to the Democrats. We voted. The Republicans have voted 14 times to open up the country and the Democrats have voted 14 times to hurt the country, really.”
The Senate Filibuster Debate
The meeting took an unexpected turn when reporters asked about the Senate filibuster, revealing Trump’s aggressive push for its elimination—a position traditionally opposed by many senators in both parties who see the 60-vote threshold as protecting minority rights.
When a reporter noted that Republican Senators “do not seem interested right now in getting rid of the filibuster,” Trump responded: “It’s too bad. They’re making a big mistake, that’s right.”
He framed his argument in partisan terms: “The way to do it for the Republicans is to terminate the filibuster. They call it the nuclear option. This is the second form of nuclear, very good, very good. This is a good form.” (The first “nuclear option” referred to 2013 and 2017 rules changes that eliminated the filibuster for executive and judicial nominations.)
Trump argued that Democrats would eliminate the filibuster if they gained power, citing the political fate of Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema: “Joe Manchin and Sinema are two people that are no longer in politics because of this issue. They were opposed to what the Democrats wanted to do. They wanted to terminate the filibuster. They were opposed to it. They’re no longer in politics. They’re gone.”
His conclusion: “The Democrats will do this. So if the Democrats are going to do it, I’m saying Republicans should do it before they get a chance.”
Trump also linked filibuster elimination to resolving the government shutdown: “If we terminate the filibuster, the country will be open within 10 minutes after that termination because it will take a second vote, which is the opening of the country and the Republicans will vote to open the country.”
He provided an extensive list of what Republicans could pass without the filibuster: “Voter ID, no mail in voting, no cash bail, no men in women’s sports, no welfare for illegals. You could go on and on. This is two pages of things I would do if you did that.”
Trump argued that eliminating the filibuster would ensure Republican electoral success: “If we do it, we will never lose the midterms and we will never lose the general election because we will have produced so many different things for our people, for the people, for the country, that it would be impossible to lose an election.”
When a reporter asked about whether eliminating the filibuster might “backfire in the future on Republicans,” Trump dismissed this concern, again citing the Democratic willingness to do the same.
On the question of bipartisanship—traditionally the filibuster’s main purpose—Trump was dismissive: “That was the purpose of the filibuster, bipartisanship, but that didn’t work.” He framed the choice starkly: “If the filibuster is terminated, we will have the most productive three years in the history of our country. If the filibuster is not terminated, then we will be in a slog with the Democrats and very little for either party will be done.”
Artificial Intelligence Development
When asked if he was “worried about an AI bubble,” Trump expressed strong enthusiasm for artificial intelligence development and America’s position in the field.
“No, I love AI. I think it’s going to be very helpful,” he said, emphasizing U.S. competitive advantage: “We’re leading China, we’re leading the world in AI.”
Trump highlighted the energy infrastructure requirements: “We’re building massive electric plants that the companies themselves are building for their plant. I’ve given them the right because we need so much electricity for that.” He provided a striking figure: “Double the electricity that we currently have in the country for just the AI plants.”
He also touted regulatory streamlining: “We’re getting approvals done in less than a month, sometimes in two weeks for massive, beautiful, massive buildings.”
Trump concluded: “I think it’s really going to be the wave of the future and we’re leading the world. We’re leading everybody by a lot.”
Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Opposition
In discussing the filibuster debate, Trump took an opportunity to celebrate what he characterized as positive political news regarding former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“I was happy to see that a tremendous liability to this country, a woman that made herself rich in this country, Nancy Pelosi, has quit and she’ll be out of here pretty soon,” Trump stated. “And that—I consider that to be a great asset for America, getting her out.”
This comment appeared to reference either Pelosi’s retirement announcement or her departure from House leadership, though the transcript doesn’t provide additional context about the specific development Trump was referencing.
Orbán’s Electoral Prospects and U.S. Support
When asked why it was important for the United States, Hungary, and Europe that Orbán wins his next election, Trump expressed strong support while acknowledging he didn’t yet know the opposition.
“I don’t know his opponent. I don’t know if he has an opponent yet. At some point, he will, I guess,” Trump said. Orbán responded with amusement: “Always, always.”
Trump then committed: “I’ll be supportive of him. He’s done a fantastic job. We’ve had a great relationship.” He emphasized the importance of the bilateral relationship: “We do billions of dollars in trade with Hungary. Hungary is a big country economically. Why would they give that up?”
He contrasted the current state of relations with the Biden era: “We had no leader in the United States. I mean, Hungary, as an example, had no relationship with the United States even though we do billions of dollars in trade with Hungary.” Trump claimed: “Our relationship was immediately good as soon as I won the election because Viktor is one of the people that’s highly respected.”
Context for General Readers
Understanding the Filibuster: The Senate filibuster is a procedural rule requiring 60 votes (out of 100 senators) to end debate on most legislation and move to a final vote. This means the minority party can block legislation even when they’re outnumbered, forcing the majority to seek bipartisan compromise. Eliminating it would allow the majority party to pass laws with a simple majority (51 votes), dramatically increasing their power but also making it easier for the opposing party to undo those changes if they later gain control.
The “Nuclear Option”: This term refers to a procedural maneuver where the Senate changes its own rules with a simple majority vote rather than the two-thirds typically required for rules changes. It was first used by Democrats in 2013 to eliminate the filibuster for most executive and judicial nominations (except Supreme Court), then extended by Republicans in 2017 to include Supreme Court nominations. Trump’s proposal would extend this further to all legislation.
NATO Spending: NATO members have long debated defense spending targets. The traditional goal was 2 percent of GDP, which many countries failed to meet. Trump’s claim that NATO members voted to increase the target to 5 percent represents a significant assertion that would require verification, as this would constitute a major policy shift for the alliance.
Hungary’s Political Position in Europe: Hungary under Orbán has increasingly clashed with EU institutions over rule of law concerns, migration policy, and media freedom. The EU has used financial mechanisms—including withholding development funds and imposing fines—to pressure Hungary on these issues. Orbán’s characterization of his government as “modern Christian” versus “liberal leftist” European governments reflects a broader ideological divide within the EU.
Pipeline Politics: The Druzhba (“Friendship”) pipeline is a Soviet-era oil pipeline running from Russia through Belarus and Ukraine to Central Europe, including Hungary. European energy security has become a critical issue since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with many nations seeking to reduce Russian energy dependence. Hungary’s landlocked position genuinely complicates this transition, though critics argue Orbán has been insufficiently motivated to pursue alternatives given his government’s relatively friendly stance toward Russia.
Government Shutdowns: In the U.S. federal system, government operations require periodic funding approval from Congress. When Congress fails to pass spending bills before funding expires, “shutdowns” occur where many government operations cease and federal employees are furloughed or work without immediate pay. Trump’s reference to Republicans voting “14 times” to open the government suggests multiple failed attempts to pass continuing resolutions or budget bills.
Source Citation
“Remarks: Donald Trump Holds a Bilateral Meeting With Viktor Orbán of Hungary – November 7, 2025.” Factbase, Roll Call, 7 Nov. 2025, factba.se.