世界银行行长彭安杰对美伊是否真正启动谈判，或是否能达成持久停火表示担忧，因为万一停火失败冲突再升级，全球经济会遭遇更大打击。 （路透社）

（华盛顿路透电）世界银行预期，就算美国与伊朗达成持久停火，这场战争已经对全球经济造成连锁冲击，而万一停火失败冲突升级，全球经济增长的跌幅和通货膨胀的升幅都会更大。

美国和伊朗预定星期六（4月11日）在巴基斯坦首都伊斯兰堡举行谈判。世界银行行长彭安杰星期五（10日）接受路透社访问时说：“目前的一大疑问是，双方是不是真会在这个周末进行谈判？谈判会不会导向持久的和平，并且让霍尔木兹海峡重开？如果不会实现，双方再爆发冲突，会不会对能源基础设施造成更大或更长期的冲击？”

彭安杰两天前也说，如果以战争就此结束为基准，今年的全球经济增长率可能下降0.3至0.4个百分点；如果战争持续，降幅则可能高达1个百分点。在基准情景下，全球通胀率可能升高2到3个百分点；若战争持续，则可能大幅叠加0.9个百分点。

根据世行提供给路透社的最新预测数据，新兴市场和发展中经济体今年的增长按基准情景将是3.65%，低于去年10月预测的4%；如果战争长期持续，增长率可能跌至2.5%。

至于这些国家今年的通胀率，按基准情景可能达到4.9%，远高于之前预测的3%；若战争持续，通胀率还可能大升至6.7%。

延伸阅读

IMF：中东战事推高通胀压力 打击经济增长
亚行报告：受中东战争拖累 亚太经济增长将放缓

彭安杰透露，世行已经在跟一些发展中国家，包括缺乏天然能源资源的小岛国家进行讨论，准备从现有的危机应变融资计划中拨出资金。根据这些计划，它们可从此前已获批准但未发放的资金中获得拨款，无须世行董事会的额外批准。

彭安杰特别提醒各国，应避免制定它们负担不起的能源补贴计划，因为这将导致未来陷入更大的财务困境。他说，许多发展中国家负债累累，且利率仍高企，这局限了它们的借贷能力，难以应对战争造成的能源与各种物资的成本上涨。

他进一步指出，战争引发的能源危机再次凸显各国迫切须要推进能源供应多元化，以保障能源自足能力。为此，世行去年6月取消了资助核能项目的长期禁令，作为协助各国应对能源需求上升的策略之一。

“如果这些国家不大规模发展核能、水力发电和地热能源，以此同风力和太阳能互补，它们就不得不更加依赖传统的石化能源。没有人想要这种局面。”

世界银行：美伊停火若失败 全球经济受创更大通胀更高

2026年4月11日 18:16 / 联合早报

世界银行：美伊停火若失败 全球经济受创更大通胀更高

世界银行行长彭安杰对美伊是否真正启动谈判，或是否能达成持久停火表示担忧，因为万一停火失败冲突再升级，全球经济会遭遇更大打击。 （路透社）

（华盛顿路透电）世界银行预期，就算美国与伊朗达成持久停火，这场战争已经对全球经济造成连锁冲击，而万一停火失败冲突升级，全球经济增长的跌幅和通货膨胀的升幅都会更大。

美国和伊朗预定星期六（4月11日）在巴基斯坦首都伊斯兰堡举行谈判。世界银行行长彭安杰星期五（10日）接受路透社访问时说：“目前的一大疑问是，双方是不是真会在这个周末进行谈判？谈判会不会导向持久的和平，并且让霍尔木兹海峡重开？如果不会实现，双方再爆发冲突，会不会对能源基础设施造成更大或更长期的冲击？”

彭安杰两天前也说，如果以战争就此结束为基准，今年的全球经济增长率可能下降0.3至0.4个百分点；如果战争持续，降幅则可能高达1个百分点。在基准情景下，全球通胀率可能升高2到3个百分点；若战争持续，则可能大幅叠加0.9个百分点。

根据世行提供给路透社的最新预测数据，新兴市场和发展中经济体今年的增长按基准情景将是3.65%，低于去年10月预测的4%；如果战争长期持续，增长率可能跌至2.5%。

至于这些国家今年的通胀率，按基准情景可能达到4.9%，远高于之前预测的3%；若战争持续，通胀率还可能大升至6.7%。

延伸阅读

IMF：中东战事推高通胀压力 打击经济增长 亚行报告：受中东战争拖累 亚太经济增长将放缓

彭安杰透露，世行已经在跟一些发展中国家，包括缺乏天然能源资源的小岛国家进行讨论，准备从现有的危机应变融资计划中拨出资金。根据这些计划，它们可从此前已获批准但未发放的资金中获得拨款，无须世行董事会的额外批准。

彭安杰特别提醒各国，应避免制定它们负担不起的能源补贴计划，因为这将导致未来陷入更大的财务困境。他说，许多发展中国家负债累累，且利率仍高企，这局限了它们的借贷能力，难以应对战争造成的能源与各种物资的成本上涨。

他进一步指出，战争引发的能源危机再次凸显各国迫切须要推进能源供应多元化，以保障能源自足能力。为此，世行去年6月取消了资助核能项目的长期禁令，作为协助各国应对能源需求上升的策略之一。

“如果这些国家不大规模发展核能、水力发电和地热能源，以此同风力和太阳能互补，它们就不得不更加依赖传统的石化能源。没有人想要这种局面。”

Watchdog, GOP lawmaker warn NY voter registration systems lacks key safeguards

April 11, 2026 5:00am EDT / Fox News

RITE and Rep. Claudia Tenney threaten to go to court if the state’s board of elections doesn’t comply

By Adam Pack, Fox News

One blue state is failing to enact adequate voting safeguards and refusing to correct its mistakes ahead of November’s midterm elections, an election integrity watchdog warns.

Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE), a nonpartisan organization focused on election security, alleges the New York State Board of Elections (NYSBOE) stonewalled a request to fix the state’s voter registration form to comply with federal voting law.

The watchdog sent the NYSBOE a letter in late 2025 outlining several violations they claimed could undermine the state’s election integrity if left unaddressed.

After the board failed to correct most of the violations, RITE and Tenney are demanding the board hand over comprehensive records and data to identify additional shortcomings in the state’s voter registration system.

Kathy Hochul, governor of New York, speaks during a news conference at the WIN NYC family shelter in New York, US, on Thursday, March 5, 2026.(Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER OVERHAULING MAIL-IN VOTING IN MAJOR ELECTION INTEGRITY PUSH

“Your lack of a response is troubling and disregards the need to ensure public trust that New York is maintaining accurate voter rolls as required by federal law,” they wrote in a letter to the NYSBOE earlier this week that was obtained by Fox News Digital.

If the board does not meet their May 2026 deadline, RITE and Tenney say they are prepared to go to federal court to enforce compliance with federal law.

The watchdog alleges two errors in New York State’s voter registration forms that violate the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

First, New York State did not instruct individuals that they must provide their driver’s license information if they have one. It also continued registering individuals who did not provide a driver’s license, the last four digits of their Social Security number or a declaration that the applicant has neither, as required by federal law.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., has accused the New York State Board of Elections of failing to implement adequate safeguards in its voter registration system.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images ; Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT’S TWO DECADES OF UNLAWFUL VOTES EXPOSE THE REAL ‘THREAT’ TO DEMOCRACY: EXPERTS

These errors have, in part, led to millions of New York voters providing incomplete information during the registration process, making it more difficult for the state to accurately maintain voter lists, according to RITE.

RITE and and Tenney also allege the board did not perform a requested audit to identify how many incomplete voter registration applications have been processed.

A 2022 report from the conservative Public Interest Legal Foundation found that at least 3.1 million New York registered voters have not provided a driver’s license or Social Security number on their application form.

“The law is clear: states may not accept registration forms that lack required identifying information,” RITE President Justin Riemer said in a statement. New York’s own regulations direct officials to do exactly that. This flagrant violation of an important federal safeguard significantly erodes the integrity of New York’s voter registration system.

“We are committed to getting answers about the breadth of the problem and ensuring the state fixes it,” Riemer added.

People walk towards a polling site during early voting in the New York City mayoral election in Manhattan in New York City, Oct. 27, 2025.(Mike Segar/Reuters)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Tenney, who is chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, said she has called for an investigation into the NYSBOE since 2022.

“Transparency and accurate voter rolls are essential to maintaining public trust in our elections,” the New York Republican said in a statement. “The people of New York deserve answers, accountability, and full compliance with HAVA to ensure the integrity of every vote.”

The New York City Board of Elections system has also come under recent scrutiny for failing to enact adequate safeguards.

One of its employees declined to block a reporter who was posing as a noncitizen from attempting to register to vote, according to video footage obtained by Fox News Digital in February.

Fox News Digital reached out to the New York State Board of Elections for comment.

4月11日，伊朗首都德黑兰一条街道，广告牌上为已故伊朗最高领袖哈梅内伊的画像。 （路透社）

一名伊朗高级消息人士说，美国已同意把伊朗在卡塔尔和其他外国银行的冻结资产解冻，并称此举表明美国在伊斯兰堡与华盛顿的会谈中展现出“诚意”。

这名因事涉敏感信息而拒绝透露姓名的消息人士告诉路透社，解冻这些资产“与确保船只安全通过霍尔木兹海峡（Strait of Hormuz）直接相关”，霍尔木兹海峡预计将是会谈的关键议题。

消息人士没有透露华盛顿同意解冻的资产的具体金额。另一名伊朗消息人士称，美国已同意解冻卡塔尔持有的60亿美元（76.45亿新元）伊朗资金。

美国方面尚未就解冻资产发表任何声明。卡塔尔外交部也未立即回应置评请求。

资金八年前冻结

这笔60亿美元的资金最初于2018年冻结，原定于2023年作为美伊换囚协议的一部分解冻。然而，在2023年10月7日伊朗盟友巴勒斯坦伊斯兰抵抗运动（哈马斯）袭击以色列后，拜登政府再次冻结了这笔资金。

美国官员当时说，伊朗在可预见的未来将无法动用这笔资金，并强调华盛顿保留完全冻结账户的权利。

此前，伊朗谈判代表团在伊斯兰堡会见了巴基斯坦总理夏巴兹，新华社引述消息人士说，会见已结束，伊方与夏巴兹讨论了伊朗与美国谈判的前提条件。

美媒：情报显示中国正准备几周内向伊朗提供防空系统

2026年4月11日 16:09 / 联合早报

消息人士称，美国情报显示中国正准备在几周内向伊朗提供防空系统。图为在伊朗一所大学的建筑物附近升起的伊朗国旗，摄于星期二（4月7日）。 （路透社）

消息人士称，美国情报显示中国正准备在几周内向伊朗提供防空系统。

彭博社引述美国有线电视新闻网报道，预计中国将向伊朗运送名为“单兵便携式防空系统”（Man-Portable Air Defense Systems或MANPADS）的肩扛式地对空导弹。

MANPADS可以一人操作，容易运送、隐藏和使用，美国几十年来一直将防止MANPADS扩散作为优先事项。

中国驻美国大使馆发言人驳斥这一说法，并告诉CNN：“中国从未向冲突任何一方提供武器；相关信息是不实的。”

彭博社也报道，如果中国向伊朗运送武器，人们会对中国在冲突中所扮演的角色产生质疑。中国此前据报协助促成美国和伊朗之间为期两周的停火。对于中国据报所扮演的角色，中国既未证实也未否认。

伊朗消息：美同意把伊朗在卡塔尔等国资金解冻

2026年4月11日 18:24 / 联合早报

伊朗消息：美同意把伊朗在卡塔尔等国资金解冻

4月11日，伊朗首都德黑兰一条街道，广告牌上为已故伊朗最高领袖哈梅内伊的画像。 （路透社）

一名伊朗高级消息人士说，美国已同意把伊朗在卡塔尔和其他外国银行的冻结资产解冻，并称此举表明美国在伊斯兰堡与华盛顿的会谈中展现出“诚意”。

这名因事涉敏感信息而拒绝透露姓名的消息人士告诉路透社，解冻这些资产“与确保船只安全通过霍尔木兹海峡（Strait of Hormuz）直接相关”，霍尔木兹海峡预计将是会谈的关键议题。

消息人士没有透露华盛顿同意解冻的资产的具体金额。另一名伊朗消息人士称，美国已同意解冻卡塔尔持有的60亿美元（76.45亿新元）伊朗资金。

美国方面尚未就解冻资产发表任何声明。卡塔尔外交部也未立即回应置评请求。

资金八年前冻结

这笔60亿美元的资金最初于2018年冻结，原定于2023年作为美伊换囚协议的一部分解冻。然而，在2023年10月7日伊朗盟友巴勒斯坦伊斯兰抵抗运动（哈马斯）袭击以色列后，拜登政府再次冻结了这笔资金。

美国官员当时说，伊朗在可预见的未来将无法动用这笔资金，并强调华盛顿保留完全冻结账户的权利。

此前，伊朗谈判代表团在伊斯兰堡会见了巴基斯坦总理夏巴兹，新华社引述消息人士说，会见已结束，伊方与夏巴兹讨论了伊朗与美国谈判的前提条件。

特朗普政府打击生育旅游 移民局启动专项行动查核签证欺诈

2026年4月11日 18:27 / 联合早报

2020年的一份分析报告估计，在2016年至2017年间，约有2万至2万5000名孕妇以生育旅游为目的赴美。 （示意图／Pixabay）

（华盛顿路透电）美国特朗普政府加大力度打击“生育旅游”。当局指责部分中介机构协助孕妇在签证申请中作假，以确保她们在美国出生的婴儿能自动获得美国公民身份。

路透社获取的一份美国移民与海关执法局（ICE）内部电邮显示，当局在星期四（4月9日）发出的电邮中，要求全国调查人员重点执行一项新的生育旅游（birth tourism）专项行动，查处协助怀孕外国人赴美生产、从而让她们子女获得公民身份的犯罪网络。

特朗普去年1月上任以来，大力推动一系列收紧合法与非法移民的政策。他以生育旅游构成威胁为由，多次表示要限制对在美国境内出生的儿童自动授予公民身份的做法。

白宫发言人凯利说：“不受限制的生育旅游给纳税人带来巨大成本，并威胁国家安全。”她指出，大多数国家并不实行出生即自动赋予公民身份的制度。

美国国土安全部拒绝就具体调查行动置评，但承认已注意到一些网络专门为生育旅游提供赴美行程安排。

国土安全部发言人说：“在美国生育并不违法，但国土安全部将重点识别并处理与这类活动相关的潜在违法行为。”

美国没有法律明确禁止生育旅游，但在特朗普首个任期内，联邦政府曾于2000年出台新规定，禁止以获取新生儿美国公民身份为主要目的申请短期旅游或商务签证，参与相关计划的人可能因欺诈或其他罪名遭起诉。

目前没有官方统计显示，有多少外国人专门赴美生产以为子女取得公民身份，也没有相关数据量化这对纳税人造成的具体成本。

主张限制移民的移民研究中心在2020年的一份分析报告中估计，在2016年至2017年间，约有2万至2万5000名孕妇以生育旅游为目的赴美。相比之下，美国2025年约有360万名新生儿，生育旅游只占其中一小部分。

此次行动由移民与海关执法局旗下的国土安全调查部门主导，目标是揪出签证与身份欺诈案件，但目前尚不清楚当局能查获多少相关个案。

移民局在电邮中指出：“国土安全调查部门正加紧努力，维护美国移民和身份识别系统的完整性，尤其是针对与生育旅游计划相关的欺诈活动。”

移民局强调，将致力于打击利用合法移民程序实施的欺诈、金融犯罪以及有组织的中介网络。

Trump backs Hilton ahead of California GOP vote, testing Bianco’s grip on party endorsement

2026-04-11T05:00:34-04:00 / Fox News

Trump’s endorsement expected to boost Hilton at San Diego convention but could hurt GOP hopes of an all-Republican runoff

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published April 11, 2026 5:00am EDT

California Republicans this weekend will vote to endorse their pick for California governor in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The vote, this Sunday in San Diego at the California GOP’s annual convention, comes a week after President Donald Trump took sides between the two major Republican candidates in the race, backing conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host Steve Hilton over Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

Trump, whose endorsements are extremely influential in GOP primaries, argued in his endorsement statement that California had “gone to hell” and that “Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him to do so!”

The president’s support for Hilton is expected to pay immediate dividends at the state GOP convention.

HERE’S WHO TRUMP IS BACKING IN THE GOLDEN STATE GUBERNATORIAL SHOWDOWN

Republican governor candidate Steve Hilton speaks to press during Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates press event at Huntington Beach on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Huntington Beach, California. Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates announced his run for California attorney general.(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

“I think it definitely can help rally the base behind a candidate and generate some noise and some enthusiasm,” California Republican Party chairwoman Corrin Rankin told Fox News Digital.

Bianco is a loyal Trump supporter who has plenty of friends and support among California Republican insiders. But Trump’s endorsement of Hilton, a top adviser to then-British Prime Minister David Cameron a decade and a half ago before moving to the U.S. and becoming an American citizen in 2021, may boost him at the GOP convention, where backing from 60% of delegates is needed to land the party’s endorsement.

But Bianco, the sheriff who recently grabbed plenty of national attention for seizing ballots in Riverside County, appeared defiant.

“For too long, politicians and insiders from Sacramento to Washington have tried to pick our leaders for us. That’s not leadership, that’s a coronation, and it’s exactly how we ended up with the failed leadership Californians are living with today,” he said in a social media video. “This election belongs to the people, not the political class.”

TOUGH ON CRIME REPUBLICAN SHERIFF LAUNCHES BID FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR

Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024, in Washington, DC. This week marks National Police Week, which sees thousands of police officers from departments across the country coming to Washington DC to honor law enforcement who died in the line of duty.(Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Trump’s endorsement may have another unintended consequence.

Candidates from both major political parties appear on the same ballot in the left-leaning state’s June primary, with the top two finishers advancing to November’s general election.

Some Democrats were concerned that with nine candidates in the race, support among Democratic voters would be so badly divided in the primary that no contender would reach the general election. Hilton and Bianco had been the top two candidates in some public opinion polls, giving some in the GOP hope of a final face-off between two Republicans.

That scenario may be less likely now, as Hilton’s support is expected to rise and Bianco’s drop in light of the president’s endorsement.Polling in the past week gave a hint of a Hilton surge.

“Trump kills any GOP hopes of an R vs R runoff in the California governor’s race,” Rob Pyers of California Target Book, which describes itself as a non-partisan and unbiased political almanac, wrote last week in a social media post.

MEDIA PERSONALITY STEVE HILTON ENTERS CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL RACE

Trump’s endorsement of Hilton has sent shock waves through California’s Republican Party.(Alex Brandon/AP)

But Hilton dismissed as a pipe dream talk of shutting out the Democrats from the general election ballot.

“That scenario of two Republicans making the general election ballot], I’ve been saying this for months, was always a fantasy,” Hilton said on Fox Business’ “The Bottom Line.” “The idea that the Democrat machine in California was just going to hand over the state to two Republicans was never serious. It was never, never going to happen.”

He further argued, “What was more likely was actually…you were going to have two Democrats in the top two and then we’ll have no chance of change. So this really makes sure that we have a Republican in the top two.”

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No Republican has won a statewide election in California since then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election victory.

And with the president’s approval rating in California hovering in the 30s, Trump’s endorsement will likely do Hilton no favors if he makes it onto the November ballot.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.

特朗普政府打击生育旅游 移民局启动专项行动查核签证欺诈

2026年4月11日 18:27 / 联合早报

2020年的一份分析报告估计，在2016年至2017年间，约有2万至2万5000名孕妇以生育旅游为目的赴美。 （示意图／Pixabay）

（华盛顿路透电）美国特朗普政府加大力度打击“生育旅游”。当局指责部分中介机构协助孕妇在签证申请中作假，以确保她们在美国出生的婴儿能自动获得美国公民身份。

路透社获取的一份美国移民与海关执法局（ICE）内部电邮显示，当局在星期四（4月9日）发出的电邮中，要求全国调查人员重点执行一项新的生育旅游（birth tourism）专项行动，查处协助怀孕外国人赴美生产、从而让她们子女获得公民身份的犯罪网络。

特朗普去年1月上任以来，大力推动一系列收紧合法与非法移民的政策。他以生育旅游构成威胁为由，多次表示要限制对在美国境内出生的儿童自动授予公民身份的做法。

白宫发言人凯利说：“不受限制的生育旅游给纳税人带来巨大成本，并威胁国家安全。”她指出，大多数国家并不实行出生即自动赋予公民身份的制度。

美国国土安全部拒绝就具体调查行动置评，但承认已注意到一些网络专门为生育旅游提供赴美行程安排。

国土安全部发言人说：“在美国生育并不违法，但国土安全部将重点识别并处理与这类活动相关的潜在违法行为。”

美国没有法律明确禁止生育旅游，但在特朗普首个任期内，联邦政府曾于2000年出台新规定，禁止以获取新生儿美国公民身份为主要目的申请短期旅游或商务签证，参与相关计划的人可能因欺诈或其他罪名遭起诉。

目前没有官方统计显示，有多少外国人专门赴美生产以为子女取得公民身份，也没有相关数据量化这对纳税人造成的具体成本。

主张限制移民的移民研究中心在2020年的一份分析报告中估计，在2016年至2017年间，约有2万至2万5000名孕妇以生育旅游为目的赴美。相比之下，美国2025年约有360万名新生儿，生育旅游只占其中一小部分。

此次行动由移民与海关执法局旗下的国土安全调查部门主导，目标是揪出签证与身份欺诈案件，但目前尚不清楚当局能查获多少相关个案。

移民局在电邮中指出：“国土安全调查部门正加紧努力，维护美国移民和身份识别系统的完整性，尤其是针对与生育旅游计划相关的欺诈活动。”

移民局强调，将致力于打击利用合法移民程序实施的欺诈、金融犯罪以及有组织的中介网络。

Is strongman leader and MAGA darling Viktor Orbán about to be ousted? What to know ahead of Hungary’s elections

April 11, 2026 / 6:07 AM EDT / CBS News

Budapest – After nearly two decades in power, Hungary’s far-right prime minister Viktor Orbán could be ousted as leader in the country’s parliamentary elections on Sunday.

The latest polls indicate that Orbán, a key international ally of President Trump, and his ruling Fidesz party are trailing the opposition center-right Tisza Party and its leader Péter Magyar in an election that will be closely watched by observers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Independent watchdogs and European Union officials have accused Orbán’s government of launching a sustained assault on the country’s democratic institutions and rule of law since he took office in 2010. In the 16 years since he took office, the country has descended to the rank of most corrupt country in the European Union, according to the U.K.-based anti-corruption group Transparency International.

Orbán has used his party’s current supermajority in Hungarian parliament to undermine the independence of the judiciary, crack down on independent media, demonize migrants and discriminate against LGBTQ people, Human Rights Watch has said. Orbán has also become known for making publicly xenophobic and racist statements, calling refugees “Muslim invaders” and saying Hungarians do not want to become a “mixed race.”

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán speaks at a rally in Budapest on April 7, 2026. Jonathan Ernst / POOL /AFP via Getty Images

Freedom House, a democracy-oriented U.S.-based nonprofit, has designated Hungary as only “partly free,” citing issues with less-than-free-and-fair elections and a stifling of independent institutions under Orbán’s leadership.

Despite concerns over Democratic backsliding in the country, a Thursday poll conducted by the independent pro-democracy research group the IDEA Institute showed that Orbán’s Fidesz party had the support of only 37% of decided voters. The center-right Tisza party has the support of 50% of decided voters, according to the poll.

Could Trump lose a key ally?

Orbán has been one of President Trump’s closest global allies since Mr. Trump was first elected as U.S. president in 2016. He was the only European Union leader to publicly endorse Mr. Trump’s first successful bid for the presidency, and the relationship has deepened between the two men over the past decade.

On Thursday, Mr. Trump gave a full-throated endorsement of the Hungarian leader on Truth Social.

“Highly Respected Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, is a truly strong and powerful Leader, with a proven track record of delivering phenomenal results,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Viktor works hard to Protect Hungary, Grow the Economy, Create Jobs, Promote Trade, Stop Illegal Immigration, and Ensure LAW AND ORDER!”

The partnership between the Trump administration and Orbán was on full display Tuesday when Vice President JD Vance publicly campaigned alongside the Hungarian leader in Budapest.

Vice President JD Vance and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at a rally on April 7, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary. Jonathan Ernst-Pool / Getty Images

“Will you stand for sovereignty and democracy? Will you stand for Western civilization? Will you stand for freedom, for truth and for the God of our fathers?” Vance asked attendees at an Orbán campaign rally. “Then my friends, go to the polls on the weekend, stand with Viktor Orbán because he stands for you and he stands for all these things.”

The relationship goes wider than just public displays of support. Orbán’s policies have been hailed by some American conservative policy experts as a blueprint for how the U.S. should be governed. Dr. Kevin Roberts, president of the influential Heritage Foundation think tank, described Orban’s leadership as a “model for conservative governance” in 2024.

As CBS News has previously reported, pro-Orbán conservative think tank the Danube Institute also agreed to host visiting researchers from The Heritage Foundation to study Hungarian policies in various fields in 2023. Heritage and Danube signed an agreement that involved no financial transactions by either party.

“I am proud to call Viktor Orbán a friend and ally, and I am proud of the strong relationship between Heritage and The Danube Institute,” Roberts told CBS News at the time.

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump at the “Board of Peace” meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. Fabrice Coffrini /AFP via Getty Images

Orbán also attended the launch of Mr. Trump’s “Board of Peace” in Davos and its inaugural meeting in Washington, D.C. In February, the United States and Hungary signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement.

Budapest has also played host to global far-right leaders and MAGA influencers at the international version of the Conservative Political Action Conference for the past four years.

“I do think it’s good that we are collaborating with each other,” CPAC Founder Matt Schlapp, a former White House political director, told CBS News last year, regarding bringing the conference to Hungary.

“I think (Hungary’s) policies on the border and on immigration have changed the whole conversation in Europe,” Schlapp said. “It’s certainly between Orbán and Trump that have normalized this idea that you don’t just have to take an unspecific number of illegal migrants because some global institution tells you that you must.”