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Republican senator ridiculed as he suggests Orbán should be offered US asylum after Hungary election defeat

US conservatives suffered an embarrassing second-hand defeat at the weekend, when their favourite to win the election in Hungary – Trump ally and incumbent prime minister Viktor Orbán – lost to Péter Magyar of the centre-right Tisza party, bringing an end to Orbán’s 16-year tenure. Trump faced criticism last month when he released a social media video stating Orbán had his “complete and total endorsement” ahead of the vote, filmed while the war between America and Iran was – and is – still ongoing. “The prime minister has been a strong leader who’s shown the entire world what’s possible when you defend your borders, your culture, your heritage, your sovereignty and your values. He’s such a fantastic guy and it’s such an honour to endorse him,” he said. Meanwhile, US vice president JD Vance has been mocked online for personally endorsing the losing candidate, with Orbán’s defeat happening on the same weekend that peace talks with Iran – over which he presided – were unsuccessful. And he’s not the only one facing ridicule on X/Twitter, as Utah senator Mike Lee asked: “Should Viktor Orban be offered asylum in the U.S.?” People had their own questions in response to Lee’s post, with writer Pedro L. Gonzalez wondering: “Asylum from what? Hungarians?”: “Time for bed, Senator,” wrote journalist Yashar Ali: Of course, past tweets from Lee resurfaced: While Virginia Democrat Matt Royer responded by saying this was “the same party that spent years telling asylum seekers to ‘wait their turn’ and ‘come legally’”. indy100 has approached Lee’s office for comment. Why not read…? People think this claim about the Pope is 'funniest thing' Trump ever said JD Vance's comment on the 'preposterous' behaviour backfires instantly Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.