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DNC’s suggestive post about Mamdani’s pothole blitz leaves social media speechless: ‘Wtf is this???’
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A graphic published by the Democratic National Committee’s official Instagram account on Sunday shocked social media users for suggestive phrasing and sexual innuendos it used to describe New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s work on fixing the city’s roads.
“HOLES FILLED,” the post read in bold blue-and-white lettering, framed over the picture of Mamdani.
The post included additional text, explaining that the graphic had to do with the city’s infrastructure.
“As of March 20, 66,000 holes filled in Mayor Mamdani’s pothole blitz,” the full phrase read.
MAMDANI MOVES TO SIDELINE NYC POLICE WITH NEW SAFETY OFFICE UNDER SWEEPING OVERHAUL
Zohran Mamdani speaks during an election night event on June 25, 2025. (Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
That didn’t stop viewers online from marveling over the word choice.
“How did this make it through approvals!?!?!?” one Republican strategist said, reacting to the image.
“Hahahah wtf is this???” Tim Pool, a podcast host, said in his own post.
The image left some users wondering if the post had been made in earnest.
“Are you f—— kidding me?” another user wrote.
As of Monday, the post remained in place.
The image comes as Mamdani tries to make good on promises to improve New York City infrastructure. In addition to telling voters he would focus on the city’s roads, Mamdani made national news for commitments to enhance free public transportation, create as many as 200,000 new affordable housing units and renovate over 500 schools.
The post on Sunday isn’t the first time the DNC has posted images of Mamdani accompanied by sexual double-entendres. In at least two other instances, the account has followed the same format: a picture of Mamdani overlaid with bold white lettering set against a blue background.
“Every street across all five boroughs PLOWED in New York City as of Feb. 24,” another one of their posts read from earlier this year.
One more about snowfall also followed a similar tone.
“16 INCHES of snowfall in New York City as of Feb. 23,” the DNC wrote.
That instance drew one Instagram commenter to quip that “they know what they did there.”
In the post about the potholes, some onlookers praised Mamdani for his work while ignoring the phrasing of the post.
MAMDANI’S ETSTATE TAX PLAN COULD DRIVE WEALTH OUT OF STATE, CRITICS WARN
The sun sets on the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City on Nov. 15, 2024. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
“Mayor Mamdani, you are relentless,” a Dem strategist wrote.
“Greatness,” Democratic influencer Jack Cocchiarella wrote on X.
But those praises drew criticisms of their own.
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“I don’t think the sexual puns about Mamdani is going to win over many voters,” a popular far-left activist account posted on X.
“You’re celebrating potholes getting filled? Isn’t that one of the basic functions of a city’s government?” another observer wrote.
The office of Mamdani did not respond to a request for comment on the image and whether they believed its language was appropriate. Fox News Digital also reached out to the DNC.
Iran conflict tests Pakistan amid own border clashes as Islamabad touted as venue for US-Tehran talks
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Pakistan is walking a tightrope as the Iran war intensifies, with that balance growing more precarious with each passing day.
Islamabad has so far pursued cautious diplomacy, condemning the strikes on Iran, while simultaneously urging de-escalation. But analysts warn it cannot remain insulated from competing pressures.
“Pakistan is putting itself forward as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran, but unconvincingly,” Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital. “Its own record of staying out of military entanglements is unimpressive.”
TRUMP PRESSES NATO PARTNERS ON SUPPORT AS HEGSETH BLASTS HESITATION
At the forefront of the tensions is a new defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, which states that aggression against one will be treated as a threat to both. Widely seen as one of Pakistan’s most consequential defense agreements, it commits the country to Riyadh, while risking confrontation with Iran.
Shia Muslims holding portraits of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei take part in an anti US-Israel protest in Islamabad on March 6, 2026. (Aamir Qureshi/ AFP via Getty Images)
Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed Muslim state, already has troops stationed in Saudi Arabia for training and defense support and has said there is “no question” of coming to the kingdom’s aid.
“Remember, Pakistan is geographically part of both South Asia and Central Asia, as well as the wider Gulf/MENA region too. Pakistan has always pursued peace, dialogue and order because we know what war does to our region,” Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for foreign media to the Pakistani prime minister, told Fox News Digital.
Within days of the war’s outbreak, the country’s army chief, General Asim Munir, made an “emergency” visit to Saudi Arabia, where top officials discussed joint responses to Iranian strikes. It was the first true test of the pact.
Relations are strong between the two nations, and Riyadh remains a key economic lifeline for Islamabad. Saudi Arabia has already been making arrangements to support energy supplies, as war-driven fuel disruptions hit import-dependent Pakistan.
Yet Pakistan’s relationship with Iran is equally critical.
The two share a 565-mile border along with deep trade ties and significant religious connections.
Pakistan is home to the world’s second-largest Shiite community after Iran. Pro-Iran regime protests in the wake of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assassination turned deadly, forcing military intervention and curfews.
Maintaining ties with Tehran is crucial for containing domestic tensions and staving off an insurgency from the minority Baloch community there.
Iran is also an important economic partner to Pakistan, which has been facing a severe economic crisis. The two conduct significant trade, with a new goal of $10 billion by 2028.
Pakistan’s foreign minister has held “constant conversations” with his Iranian counterpart throughout the conflict. And last week, a Pakistani oil tanker transited the essentially blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Analysts noted it was the first non-Iranian cargo ship to do so since tensions escalated, suggesting that safe passage may have been negotiated. Officials add that more Pakistan-bound oil tankers are likely to cross the strait in the coming days.
A screenshot of a marine traffic terminal showing vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. (Kpler/Marine Traffic)
Most of Pakistan’s crude and LNG imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. But as the war grinds on, analysts warn Pakistan’s room for neutrality is shrinking.
Pakistan recently went against Iran, backing a Gulf-led resolution at the United Nations condemning regional aggression. Russia and China abstained.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister just called for regional coordination in separate calls with Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt.
Shia Muslims holding portraits of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei take part in an anti US-Israel protest in Islamabad on March 6, 2026. (Aamir Qureshi/ AFP via Getty Images)
At the same time, Islamabad must also navigate relations with Washington, yet another key partner.
Under President Donald Trump’s second term, Pakistan has sought closer relations with the U.S., even floating his name for the Nobel Peace Prize.
TRUMP IS REALIGNING WORLD ENERGY MARKETS AND THE IRAN STRIKES ARE ACTUALLY HELPING
Questions are also emerging in Washington. During a White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was coordinating with the Pentagon to assess whether Pakistan is supporting Iran, while describing India as a “good actor.”
India’s positioning has added further pressure, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Israel.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu in New Delhi, India on Feb. 25, 2026. (Photo by Press Information Bureau (PIB)/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“There is no contradiction in being absolutely committed to peace, dialogue and order. The strong relationships Pakistan has with the United States, with Saudi Arabia, with Iran and with China are a testament to Pakistan’s commitment,” the Pakistani prime minister’s spokesperson, Zaidi said.
So far, Pakistan has effectively positioned itself at the forefront of mediation efforts to end the ongoing conflict, leveraging its ties with all three powerhouses.
Reports indicate that high-level talks between the U.S. and Iran are set for Islamabad as early as this weekend.
“Pakistan wants to matter to the U.S. and to be a better partner than India. Because the Afghan Taliban have alienated Islamabad since 2021, there are few remaining sore points between the U.S. and Pakistan, with the latter able to present as an ally against terrorism,” Fitton-Brown said. “And most regional parties want to see the crisis end sooner rather than later. But nobody wants to see the Islamic Republic strengthened in Iran.”
The spiraling war comes at a critical time for Pakistan’s already stretched military. Tensions with India remain elevated, while border clashes, airstrikes, drone attacks and rising civilian casualties have become the norm with once friendly neighbor Afghanistan.
The nations nosedived into an “all-out war,” just days before the Iran conflict broke out, and the violence shows no signs of easing after fresh Pakistani strikes recently hit the Afghan capital city of Kabul.
Afghan Taliban fighters patrol near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province, following exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces. (REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo)
“This geography and the region’s history is why Pakistan steadfastly rejects India’s efforts at regional hegemony, it is why Pakistan is pursuing a termination of the Afghan Taliban regime’s support for terrorist groups,” Zaidi said. “We seek a complete cessation of terrorism emanating from territory currently controlled by the Afghan Taliban.”
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With Pakistan already managing tensions on both its eastern border with India and its western frontier with Afghanistan, a destabilized Iran could push that strain further.
“If Islamabad is destabilized, it will be extremely bad news regionally and globally,” Edmund Fitton-Brown told Fox. “The idea of a nuclear power under jihadi rule doesn’t bear thinking about.”
Former Yale hockey coach alleges ‘toxic environment’ under athletic director Victoria Chun, letter shows
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EXCLUSIVE: A letter signed by former longtime Yale ice hockey coach Keith Allain, addressed to Yale President Maurine McInnis, alleged that current Yale Athletic Director Victoria Chun has created a “toxic environment” for the university’s sports teams.
In the letter, Allain claimed other Yale coaches urged him to speak out against Chun to McInnis after his retirement.
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Yale Coach Keith Allain on bench during game vs Cornell at Boardwalk Hall. Atlantic City, NJ 3/19/2011 (Lou Capozzola /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)
“My name is Keith Allain, I have just retired after 19 years as Mens Hockey Coach and I am writing to you at the urging of several head coaches in our Athletic Department. They told me that you were soliciting feedback from a few coaches regarding extending the contract of our athletic director, and are concerned, that with the culture of fear that permeates the athletic department, you will not receive candid feedback,” the letter began.
Allain went on to call Chun the “worst leader” he has ever been around and alleges she has prioritized “silencing any dissent.”
“As a Yale alum and someone who has a great affection for our University and the role of athletics within the greater Yale community I felt compelled write you as my former colleagues asked. Vicky Chun is the absolute worst leader I have ever been around in my life. She is dishonest, self centered and inaccessible. Vicky’s singular talent is self promotion and has created a toxic environment within the department where she is insulated by a cadre of administrators whose main task seems to be silencing any dissent,” the letter continued.
UNIVERSITY LEADER ADMITS SCHOOLS ARE ‘NOT A POLITICAL PARTY’ IN WARNING TO ELITE CAMPUSES
Coach Keith Allain of the Yale Bulldogs stands behind the bench during a game against the Boston University Terriers during NCAA hockey at Agganis Arena on December 13, 2016, in Boston, Massachusetts. The Terriers won 5-2. (Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)
“I know this assessment seems harsh and I am willing to provide detail if you were interested in learning more about my experience and how Vicky’s lack of leadership affect my program. As a point of reference, our teams record before Vicky was 220 wins-144 losses-39 ties, with Vicky 62 wins-110 losses-15 ties. Responsibility for that record is mine, but we all know organizational leadership or lack of it has an impact.”
A source provided the letter to Fox News Digital. Allain later confirmed to Fox News Digital that he wrote the letter and sent it to McInnis in October, shortly after he retired after 19 years leading Yale hockey. Allain declined further comment.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Yale president’s office and athletic department for a response.
Fox News Digital is currently reviewing additional claims and allegations.
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Head coach Keith Allain of USA during practice before the 2011 IIHF World U20 Championship Group A game between USA and Finland on December 26, 2010 at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
Allain, who played ice hockey at Yale from 1976-80, took over as head coach in 2006, leading the program to the NCAA championship in 2013 and seven Ivy League championships during his tenure. He finished his tenure with a record of 282–254–54.
Chun, a former volleyball player and later head coach for Colgate University, took over as Yale Athletic Director in 2018 after serving in the same position at Colgate from 2012-18.
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Real Madrid interested in Chelsea’s Mayra Ramírez – sources
Real Madrid are keen to sign Chelsea‘s Colombian striker Mayra Ramírez, multiple sources have told ESPN.
Ramírez, 26, has established herself as an elite forward since joining Chelsea from Levante in January 2024, and Madrid executives believe that her arrival would improve the team’s forward line.
Madrid rate the Colombia international’s goalscoring ability and physicality, sources said, and are looking to strengthen the side this summer to solidify their position as one of Europe’s top teams, having reached the Champions League quarterfinals for consecutive seasons.
In 2024-25, Madrid lost to Arsenal at the quarterfinal stage, and this week they host Barcelona in the first leg at the same stage.
Ramírez would team up with fellow Colombia international Linda Caicedo at Valdebebas, with star playmaker Caicedo having recently renewed her contract at the club until 2030.
However, sources admitted that signing Ramírez would not prove straightforward.
The forward has a deal at Stamford Bridge until 2028, and Chelsea paid Levante a then world-record €450,000 transfer fee in 2024.
There are also some doubts about Ramírez’s physical condition. The Colombian has not played an official match since Aug. 2, 2025, when she lost the Copa América final against Brazil with the Colombia national team.
The forward underwent surgery for a hamstring injury after being hurt in a friendly with AC Milan on August 30, and has not returned to the pitch since.
Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor revealed in March that Ramírez had suffered a relapse when close to returning.
“Mayra was progressing well, but she was injured again during her rehabilitation,” Bompastor said. “It’s been a very difficult season for her, and I don’t know if we’ll see her until the end of the season, unfortunately.”
Sources said Madrid will be closely monitoring Ramírez’s progress in the final months of the season, with a view to signing her this summer.
New guidelines warn Americans need to take cholesterol levels seriously in their 30s
Americans as young as 30 should be taking action on their cholesterol, according to updated guidelines from the country’s leading cardiologists.
An estimated 25 percent of American adults have high levels of the fat-like substance, LDL cholesterol, which raises the chance they will develop heart disease – the cause of 900,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. High levels can also lead to other life-threatening issues like heart attack or stroke.
The guidelines, updated every 5-8 years by the American College of Cardiology, aim to reduce heart disease deaths – the fourth highest in the world per capita – and help Americans live longer. The recommendations were last updated in 2018.
People should have cholesterol screening at younger ages, the doctors wrote. They also recommended that more people take cholesterol-lowering medication as only about half the individuals eligible are currently doing so.
By age 10, all children should be tested for high levels of LDL cholesterol, to identify who has a genetic risk and who needs cholesterol-lowering medication, the group said. Screening should then be repeated every five years – and more often for people with high cholesterol or risk factors like diabetes and obesity.
In a departure from their last guidelines, the American College of Cardiology also gave specific instructions, depending on your risk factors for heart attack or stroke.
People above age 30 – whose doctors have determined they have at least a 10 percent risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next decade – should get their LDL cholesterol levels below 70 milligrams per deciliter and those who have already had a cardiac event or peripheral artery disease should lower it below 55mg per deciliter.
High cholesterol levels are at or above 240 milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while healthy levels are at or around 100 milligrams per deciliter.
If the new guidelines are widely followed, especially by younger people, heart disease would “go down markedly,” Dr. Roger Blumenthal, director of the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease who worked on the new guidelines, told The New York Times.
“We think we could cut heart attack and stroke rates down by half,” he said.
LDL cholesterol isn’t bad in itself but too much can lead to a build up of plaque in the arteries, causing them to harden and narrow and restricting blood flow.
This leaves people at risk for deadly cardiac events, although there’s no data showing how many deaths are specifically traced to high LDL levels in the U.S. annually. Worldwide, that tally is over 4.4 million, according to the World Heart Federation.
Eating a saturated fat-heavy diet, being overweight, smoking or chewing tobacco, not getting enough exercise and a genetic history of high cholesterol can leave people vulnerable to high LDL cholesterol levels, the American Heart Association says.
More than 1 in 3 American adults – roughly 42 percent – are living with obesity and the rate of childhood obesity has reached its highest rate ever recorded, jumping from 5.2 percent in the early 1970s to more than 21 percent in 2021-2023, a Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health report found.
Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, not smoking, sleeping well and taking cholesterol-lowering medication can all help to fight elevated LDL cholesterol levels.
Just 30 minutes of brisk walking or another moderate fitness routine can do the trick, according to the Mayo Clinic, as well as increasing the amount of healthy fats in your daily diet, such as salmon and avocado. Lean sources of protein are better for your heart health, dietitians say, instead of red meats.
Once plaque builds in the arteries, you can’t make it disappear, according to Harvard Health. But, lifestyle changes and medication can shrink and stabilize the amount of plaque you have.
Most American adults who are eligible for cholesterol medication aren’t on the drugs, a Johns Hopkins University study found last year. Among 5,000 U.S. adults who had never had a major cardiovascular event, 47 percent were eligible for cholesterol-lowering drugs but only 23 percent were taking them.
XL men’s store sees sales fall by 6% as Americans turn to weight-loss drugs
Destination XL has seen sales fall by about 6 percent as Americans turn to weight-loss drugs.
The plus-size men’s clothing chain recently reported its earnings for the fourth quarter of the 2025 fiscal year, which ended on January 31, 2026. Total sales for the quarter were $112.1 million, a 6 percent decrease from the year before.
In a call with analysts last Thursday, DXL CEO Harvey Kanter said of GLP-1 drugs, “We didn’t think it was going to be impacting the business as much at the level we think today it is.”
“And we also have been told and see customers that are moving around, both moving down in size, but also for whatever reason, on the drugs and they decide to get off and they’re moving back up,” Kanter said. “So there’s just a lot of volatility. I don’t know that we’re going to see what I would tell you some level of stabilization of the consumer relative to GLP drugs for some period of time.”
Kanter suggested customers may not want to buy more clothes until they are at a weight they want to maintain.
“Typically, weight loss of any kind up or down is a friend of ours. But I think right now, we’re in a pattern where they’re losing weight and they’re on a journey, and they’re trying to not to buy clothes until they’re done with that journey. So we do think it will come back,” the CEO said.
Retail Dive reported first on the effects weight-loss drugs have had on DXL.
According to a poll released by health policy organization KFF last November, 1 in 8 US adults said they are taking a GLP-1 drug such as Ozempic or Wegovy for weight loss, diabetes or another chronic condition. Nearly one in five adults said they have taken a GLP-1 drug at some point.
A recent study by Cleveland Clinic found 47.6 percent of those who stopped taking weight-loss drugs did so for financial reasons, whether that be because insurance didn’t cover it, a discount for the drug was no longer available or out-of-pocket costs were unaffordable.
Another 14.6 percent said they stopped because of side effects, and another 11.8 percent said they stopped because of drug shortages.
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The use of GLP-1 drugs by customers was just one of several factors impacting the plus-size apparel industry.
“Fiscal 2025 as a whole reflects the ongoing challenges facing the big + tall retail sector. Traffic remained soft, consumer sentiment was cautious, and customers shopped less frequently, often prioritizing essentials and lower price points,” Kanter said in a recent .
Despite a decrease in fourth-quarter sales, DXL remains optimistic about the fiscal year ahead.
“Our fourth quarter comparable sales through the holiday season and into early January were down 5.8 percent, an improvement from the rest of the year. That momentum was interrupted by a severe Arctic weather event that impacted much of the country during the final two weeks of January,” Kanter said. “However, I am pleased to report that 2026 is off to a better start with comparable sales for the month of February down 1.3 percent and early March appears to be following a similar trend.”
DXL will close a merger with FullBeauty Brands in the second quarter of the 2026 fiscal year.
“This merger creates a scaled, category-defining retailer for inclusive apparel, which we expect will generate $1.2 billion of revenue, $25 million of annual run-rate cost synergies, and meaningful commercial synergies, creating a compelling opportunity to drive long-term value for DXL shareholders,” Kanter said.
Robot umpires are coming to MLB. Here’s how they work
NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Robot umpires are coming to the big leagues this year.
The Automated Ball/Strike System will be introduced in the form of a challenge system in which the human umpire makes each call, which can be appealed to the computer. Robot umpires have been tested in the minor leagues since 2019, with recent testing done at Triple-A since 2022, MLB spring training last year and at the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta.
Here’s what to know about MLB’s robot umps.
Stadiums are outfitted with cameras that track each pitch and judge whether it crossed home plate within the strike zone. In early testing, umpires wore ear buds and would hear “ball” or “strike,” then relay that to players and fans with traditional hand signals.
The challenge system adds a wrinkle. Human umps call every pitch, but each team has the ability to challenge two calls per game. Teams that waste their challenges get one additional challenge in each extra inning. A team retains its challenge if successful, similar to the regulations for big league teams with video reviews, which were first used for home run calls in August 2008 and widely expanded to many calls for the 2014 season.
Only a batter, pitcher or catcher may challenge a call, signaling with the tap of a helmet or cap; and assistance from the dugout is not allowed. A challenge must be made within 2 seconds, and the graphic of the pitch and strike zone is shown on the scoreboard and broadcast feed. The umpire then announces the updated count.
Challenges during spring training last year averaged 13.8 seconds.
A Hawk-Eye pose-tracking system of cameras tracks pitches and whether they are within a strike zone based on the height of each batter, who is measured without shoes. Each player will be measured for his strike zone starting at 10 a.m. to noon on a rolling basis during spring training — the time of day to maintain uniformity, because height shortens later in the day. Data will be verified by the Southwest Research Institute. MLB estimated the calibration process at less than one minute for each player.
While the strike zone actually called by big league umpires tends to be oval in shape, the ABS strike zone is a rectangle, as in the rule book.
Developing a consensus on what a computer strike zone was an issue.
MLB has changed the shape of the ABS strike zone several times.
It started with a 19-inch width in 2022, then dropped it to 17 inches — matching the width of home plate. Narrowing the strike zone led to an increase in walks and only small changes in strikeout rates.
The top of the strike zone was 51% of a batter’s height in 2022 and 2023, then raised to 53.5% in 2024 after pitchers complained. The bottom of the strike zone has been 27% since 2022 after initially being set at 28%. A batter’s stance is not taken into account.
ABS makes the ball/strike decision at the midpoint of the plate, 8 1/2 inches from the front and 8 1/2 inches from the back. The contrasts with the rule book zone called by umpires, which says the zone is a cube and a strike is a pitch that crosses any part. Big league umpires call roughly 94% of pitches correctly, according to UmpScorecards.
ABS, which utilizes Hawk-Eye cameras, has been tested in the minor leagues since 2019. The independent Atlantic League trialed the system at its 2019 All-Star Game and MLB installed the technology for that’s year Arizona Fall League of top prospects. The ABS was tried at eight of nine ballparks of the Low-A Southeast League in 2021, then moved up to Triple-A in 2022.
At Triple-A at the start of the 2023 season, half the games used the robots for ball/strike calls and half had a human making decisions subject to appeals by teams to the ABS.
MLB switched Triple-A to an all-challenge system on June 26, 2024, then used the challenge system last year at 13 spring training ballparks hosting 19 teams for a total of 288 exhibition games. Teams won 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges (617 of 1,182) challenges.
At last year’s MLB All-Star Game, four of five challenges of plate umpire Dan Iassogna’s calls were successful.
Success rate have hovered around 50% in the minors. At Triple-A last season, the success rate dropped to 49.5% from 50.6%. Defenses — usually catchers — have been more successful, winning 53.7% of challenges compared to 45% by batters. Challenges increased to 4.2 from 3.9 per game.
In 2024 at Triple-A, just 1.6% of first pitches were challenged, but the figure increased to 3.9% for two-strike pitches, 5.2% for three-ball pitches and 8.2% for full counts.
Challenge percentages were higher later in the game. While 1.9% of pitches were challenged in the first three innings, 2.5% were challenged from the fourth through the sixth, 2.8% in the seventh and eighth and 3.6% in the ninth.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Europe’s far right backs Orbán as Hungary’s coming election puts his brand to the test
BUDAPEST, Hungary — The leaders of over a dozen European far-right parties gathered in Hungary’s capital on Monday in a show of support for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a nationalist figure beloved by U.S. and European conservatives whose performance in a pivotal election in April could set the tone for the movement’s future.
Orbán, who retook power in Hungary in 2010, has long been seen as a key figure in the global far right, well before U.S. President Donald Trump entered the 2016 presidential race.
The Hungarian leader’s political successes — four straight election victories, his broad takeover of Hungarian government institutions, media and academia, and his emphasis on family values — led many in the U.S. and Europe to see him as a shining example of far-right dominance.
But three weeks before Hungarians go to the polls, most surveys show Orbán is lagging behind a center-right challenger — a sign that his 16-year reign, and his influence over the conservative movement, could be drawing to a close.
Kim Lane Scheppele, a professor of sociology and international affairs at Princeton University, said that while Orbán has both “gained a huge amount of power in Europe” and become a darling of Trump’s MAGA movement, he has a lot at stake in the upcoming election.
“Hungary is this kind of proof of concept that the MAGA kind of politics can work,” Scheppele said. “If Orbán loses, then it loses some of that luster.”
The gathering in Budapest on Monday was an assembly of Patriots for Europe, a group set up in 2024 by Orbán and his far-right allies.
It is the third-largest group within the European Parliament. Its member parties, from 13 EU countries, share a strong opposition to immigration, a preference for national sovereignty over European integration, and adherence to conservative social values.
At the gathering were figures such as France’s Marine Le Pen, Italy’s Matteo Salvini and Geert Wilders of the Netherlands. One by one, each of the 13 speakers took the stage to praise Orbán and urge Hungarians to vote for him and his Fidesz party at the April 12 election.
Le Pen, who is challenging a March 2025 verdict that found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds, said Orbán had stood strong on issues like “immigration, identity and sovereignty.” She said Hungary had become “an emblem of the resistance of a proud and sovereign people to oppression.”
“On April 12, you will send a new message of strength and determination to tired old technocrats in Brussels,” she told the crowd.
The Patriots group has curried favor with Trump and his MAGA movement, and have rallied under the slogan “Make Europe Great Again.” Orbán has long predicted a far-right nationalist takeover in Europe, and portrayed the Patriots as the vehicle for achieving that aim.
At the assembly in Budapest, Orbán said the Patriots “are talking openly about wanting to take control of the European Union. We want to occupy and transform the center of Brussels.”
Scheppele, the Princeton professor, said Orbán has been key to some of the European far-right’s success since he’s been able to use the power of the Hungarian state and its financial resources to support their aims.
“Hungary has been really important because it’s been governed for 16 years by somebody trying to build this movement, and that means that it’s kind of a safe haven,” she said.
Orbán has expanded his influence beyond Europe’s borders. He and Trump have long been mutual fans, and have exchanged a steady stream of public compliments and backing for one another’s political campaigns.
In one sign of Orbán’s continued sway among U.S. conservatives, Budapest on Saturday hosted the fifth Hungarian iteration of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). There, Orbán said the West was undergoing “the greatest political realignment of the past hundred years.”
“The epicenter of this realignment, its center of power, is the United States, and its forward base in Europe is Hungary,” he said.
In a video message to CPAC, Trump endorsed Orbán’s run for reelection, and praised his defense of “your borders, your culture, your heritage, your sovereignty, and your values.”
There have been striking parallels between what Orbán accomplished in Hungary and what Trump’s supporters hoped the president’s second term could usher in the United States, Scheppele said.
“A lot of the inspiration for the way that MAGA launched itself and developed a kind of political program to consolidate power very quickly was modeled on Orbán,” she said. “These are really interlocking networks and I think that the (Hungarian) election therefore looms very large in the MAGA political imagination.”
Orbán’s political troubles — spurred on by a chronically stagnant economy, crumbling social services and increasingly salient allegations of corruption — have coincided with struggles for Trump’s movement.
As the Hungarian election approaches and the U.S. president risks losing one of his most public and stalwart international fans, Trump himself is reeling from falling poll numbers amid the Iran war and an immigration crackdown whose popularity has been rapidly slipping.
His Republican Party is bracing for significant losses in November’s midterm elections.
___
Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi contributed from Denver, Colorado.
Scotland begins testing newborn babies for rare genetic condition
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) causes progressive muscle weakness and, without treatment, can limit life expectancy to just two years.
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