Trump administration reportedly eyeing Viktor Orbán as next U.N. Secretary General

Former Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

According to a report by the Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration is maneuvering to position former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, “the dream MAGA-conservative candidate," as the next secretary general of the United Nations and rally the necessary nation votes with support from Russia and China.

An unnamed State Department official admitted to the Journal that the idea "sounds crazy at first," but plans are in motion to persuade Orbán to run for the post and to convince Russia and China to nominate him, along with the U.S., as the countries' joint candidate. 

Orbán, 63, lost his re-election campaign in Hungary back in April, despite support from President Trump and JD Vance. He led Hungary for 16 years and remains popular with American conservatives due to his no-nonsense approach to illegal immigration and his crackdown on leftist NGOs. Some in the Trump coalition view him as "the dream MAGA-conservative candidate."

After convincing Orbán to throw his hat into the ring, getting the votes is the next step to seeing the plan through. According to the report, a State Department official believes Orbán would enter the race with eight votes from the 15 members of the U.N. security council "comfortably." If he can get to 10 votes, it will be difficult for member states to oppose a majority of that size. 

Early outreach by U.S. officials found Orbán is interested in pursuing the role. Trump and JD Vance are expected to back Orbán, who the view as someone who would approach the post as a "general" rather than a "secretary," according to the report. 

Not surprisingly, some world leaders, reacting to the report, bristled at the idea of Orbán leading the U.N. 

According to i24 News, six rounds of informal straw polls have been held, but none of the candidates have received enough support to be a nominee. Lana Nusseibeh, a UAE diplomat, threw her name into the ring last week. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres of Portugal will see his term end on December 31.