Donald Trump has become so toxic in Europe that even his closest ideological allies are running. Marine Le Pen told her National Rally colleagues at a meeting: "We must keep our distance." Giorgia Meloni found the perfect moment to pull away - when Trump attacked the Pope.

Orban's defeat in Hungary accelerated the reckoning. A National Rally official said it plainly: "In current circumstances, proximity to Washington did not resonate well with Hungarian voters." Vice President Vance personally campaigned for Orban - and Orban lost.

AfD learns the same lesson

Germany's AfD, ahead of crucial regional elections in September, is applying the same strategy. Party member Torben Braga admitted: "In certain electoral contexts, this approach lacks promise." Colleague Matthias Moosdorf went further: "Ostentatious displays of friendship" between Budapest and Trump's team became an "electoral millstone."

Alice Weidel, the AfD leader, insists Trump ties aren't a burden. But the words of her party colleagues tell a different story.

The tactics stay, the ambassador changes

Interestingly: none of these parties are abandoning Orban's model - confrontation with Brussels, attacks on the judiciary, media criticism. That stays. What changes is the embassy logo: Washington is no longer the address for photo ops.

Le Pen clearly learned her lesson from January 6, 2021 - the Capitol attack. "After that happened, she recognized it wasn't wise to get too close," said a former rival. And now, with the war in Iran and rising energy prices, any association with Trump is a risk.

"We love our friends in Washington, but we prefer autonomy in decision-making," said a Le Pen associate. Translated into Balkan: "We'll be friends, but from a distance." A formula as old as politics itself.