U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly pushing for Hungary’s former Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán to stand as a candidate for the Secretary General of the United Nations, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The newspaper claimed in an article published on October 25 that sources from three different countries had confirmed Trump is advocating for Orbán to be put forward as a candidate and is encouraging Orbán to stand. However, these three countries have not been named, nor has this been confirmed by any other sources.
Neither Trump nor Orbán have so far responded to these reports, though a spokesperson for Orbán had previously described stories about him running for Deputy Secretary General as “fake news”.
Orbán had served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1998 to 2002, and then again from 2010 until April 2026, when he lost in a landslide at the Hungarian parliamentary elections to rival Péter Magyar.
Throughout his time in office Orbán had drawn frequent criticism over his illiberalism, accusations of corruption, and of undermining Hungarian democracy and the independence of the judiciary.
A right-wing populist who had himself described his regime as an “illiberal democracy”, Orbán had been seen as one of Trump’s strongest allies within Europe, and has been described as the “dream candidate for MAGA conservatives.”
Trump had previously given Orbán his endorsement in the run up to April’s elections, even sending U.S. Vice President JD Vance to Hungary in person during the campaign to speak in support of Orbán’s regime.
The prospect of Orbán taking on the leadership of the UN will raise concerns for many, especially given his perceived ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Throughout his time in office, Orbán had been one of the few European leaders to maintain close links with the Kremlin following the war in Ukraine, and had repeatedly blocked further support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.
According to the WSJ, both Russia and China are supportive of Orbán’s nomination for Secretary General. Whilst the U.S. State Department official cited by the WSJ had himself described the prospect of Orbán’s nomination as “crazy”, they added that the backing of Washington, Moscow, and Beijing would make it far more likely.
Much would likely depend on the positions of the UK and France, who are the other two UN Security Council members with the power to veto the choice for Secretary General.
The reports of Trump’s nomination has already drawn criticism or scepticism internationally, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk dismissing the idea as “funny” and as likely amounting to nothing more than a rumour.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrij Sbhya, has warned of the dangers of such a nomination, stating on X that Orbán, if made Secretary General, “would put to good use the masterful veto and blackmail skills he has developed over years of derailing major EU decisions”.
Magyar, who has since his April election been attempting a complete regime change, has warned that selecting Orbán would be catastrophic for the UN.
“If you want to destroy the UN, then take Orban. That’s the only reason for choosing him,” Magyar stated at a press conference in Prague in late October, adding that he didn’t think someone “who robbed their homeland and made Hungary one of Europe’s poorest, and most corrupt countries, should lead the UN”.
This comes after two former members of Orbán’s cabinet had been arrested in September on charges of misappropriation and bribery, when Hungary’s National Assembly voted to strip them of their parliamentary immunity.
Orbán has gone on the record voicing his belief that the Magyar government will be attempting to prosecute him also, stating that “this is a political witch hunt, and I’m the target.”
It had already been speculated that the Trump administration might attempt to maneuver Orbán into a high ranking position within the UN in order to provide him with diplomatic immunity against such legal action.
A new Secretary General is expected to be appointed by no later than the end of the year, when António Guterres, the former Prime Minister of Portugal, will come to the end of his second and final five-year term as Secretary General.
Featured image: via White House
