As Donald Trump’s inauguration draws closer, speculation is mounting about the policies of the incoming US president. Key questions include the future of Ukraine, whether he will succeed in bringing Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the negotiating table, and how America’s relationship with the European Union will evolve.
Many international news outlets have expressed the view that the EU requires a ‘Trump whisperer’—a strong leader who is well-acquainted with the president, capable of managing his often intense and forceful negotiating style, reasoning with him effectively, and advancing the EU’s relationship with Washington in a positive direction.
Many, including progressive mouthpiece POLITICO, regard Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as the personification of these qualities. Notably, following Trump’s election, POLITICO named Meloni as Europe’s most influential politician of 2024—a striking shift, considering that just a few months earlier, the same outlet had labelled her ‘far-right’ and ‘fascist.’
However, some believe that Meloni will not serve as the key link between Europe and Trump’s America. Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist for the incoming president, recently gave an interview to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, in which he suggested that ‘the real bridge between the US and Europe won’t be Meloni, but rather populist leaders such as Marine Le Pen in France, Nigel Farage in the UK, and Viktor Orbán in Hungary.’
Bannon voiced sharp criticism of Meloni, claiming that the Italian prime minister had ‘positioned herself with the globalists’ and was ‘one of the biggest supporters of continuing the war in Ukraine’. He told Corriere della Sera: ‘It is quite obvious that she bet Trump would never return. You can see it from her policies. The bet was wrong; it didn’t pay off.’
POLITICO’s weekend newsletter featured comments from one of Bannon’s associates, who spoke on the matter anonymously. ‘Meloni is positioning herself, and her advisors are working the press incredibly hard, to portray her as Trump’s natural interlocutor in Europe. However, Viktor Orbán, both publicly and privately, has remained unwavering in his loyalty,’ the associate remarked.
‘Viktor Orbán, both publicly and privately, has remained unwavering in his loyalty’
There is no doubt that Viktor Orbán is Donald Trump’s closest European ally. Orbán was the first EU leader to endorse Trump in 2016, and their relationship has grown increasingly close in recent years. Orbán has made several visits to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, where he has held bilateral talks with the future president. Notably, Trump has mentioned Orbán’s name more frequently than any other European leader during his campaign.
It is widely anticipated that Hungary’s position in international politics will be significantly strengthened once Trump takes office on 20 January.
Orbán has also maintained a strong relationship with Steve Bannon, meeting with Trump’s former adviser most recently at the Hungarian embassy in Washington last May.
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