US Vice President JD Vance has pointed to his unsuccessful endorsement of former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán as he explained why he would not publicly back Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s elections.

JD Vance avoided answering a journalist’s question

“I have endorsed one foreign candidate for election in my entire life. First of all, it didn’t go particularly well, as much as I’m very much an admirer of the [now former] prime minister, Orbán,” Vance said on Wednesday, responding to a question about whether he supported Netanyahu’s re-election campaign, reports Anadolu Agency.

Orbán, whose Fidesz party lost power after 16 years in Hungary’s April election, received Vance’s public backing shortly before the vote. The US vice president travelled to Budapest during the campaign, voicing support for Orbán and criticising what he described as outside interference in Hungarian politics. Despite that endorsement, Orbán suffered a decisive defeat.

Vance leaves Netanyahu endorsement to Trump

Speaking at a news conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, JD Vance said his immediate priority was the US political calendar rather than foreign elections. “We’re in the middle of an American election cycle where I’m very focused on getting candidates elected in the United States of America,” he said.

Vance stressed that declining to endorse Netanyahu did not mean he was attacking the Israeli leader. “I’m not attacking Bibi Netanyahu. I’m not endorsing Bibi Netanyahu,” he said, adding that the final decision rested with US President Donald Trump.

Trump endorsed Netanyahu on Sunday, declaring his “Complete and Total Endorsement” of the Israeli prime minister’s re-election bid ahead of the 27 October vote. He praised Netanyahu’s leadership and co-operation with Washington, particularly over confronting Iran.

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Orbán defeat offers a political lesson

JD Vance’s reference to Orbán is notable because the Hungarian leader was a prominent ally of Trump’s political movement and a symbol of the nationalist right in Europe. His election defeat was therefore a setback for a political figure whom Vance had personally championed.

The vice president is also navigating domestic divisions over Israel. Critics of Netanyahu’s government have argued that its decisions contributed to the conflict with Iran, making an endorsement politically sensitive for some American voters.

By invoking Orbán’s defeat, Vance offered a pointed explanation for keeping his distance from Israel’s campaign while maintaining that he remains an admirer of the former Hungarian prime minister.

Read also: Orbán speaks out on political comeback and Fidesz’s future in opposition