US Vice President JD Vance had an awkward moment this week when he tried to connect a crowd of 5,000 Hungarians to a live phone call with President Donald Trump, and got sent straight to voicemail on the first try. Vance was in Budapest on Tuesday, April 7, for a “Day of Friendship” event, where he was encouraging voters to re-elect far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He had told the crowd he had a special surprise before his speech.
According to People, Vance, 41, told the audience, “Before I started my remarks, I actually had a special guest that asked that I give him a phone call.” He then added, “Let’s hope he actually answers. This is going to be very embarrassing.” Seconds after he made the call and held his phone up to the podium microphone, it went straight to voicemail, playing Trump’s greeting to the entire rally.
Vance tried again. “OK,” he said, taking the phone off speaker for a moment. “Let’s try one more time. I got to get a good signal here.” After about ten seconds of ringing, he said, “It’s ringing, it’s progress.” The crowd cheered when Vance finally said, “Hello Mr. President, how are ya?” He then told Trump, “Mr. President you are on with about 5,000 Hungarian patriots and I think they love you even more than they love Viktor Orbán.”
The call connected, and Trump had warm words for Orbán and Hungary
President Trump, 79, replied, “I can’t believe that,” before praising Orbán, calling him a “fantastic man.” Trump told the crowd he deeply appreciates Orbán’s leadership. “Remember this, he didn’t allow people to storm your country and invade your country like other people have, and ruin their countries frankly,” Trump said.
“He’s kept your country good… He’s done a fantastic job and let me tell you, I like him a lot but if I didn’t think he did a good job I wouldn’t be making a call like this.” Trump ended by saying he’s a “big fan of Viktor” and that the US is “with him all the way.”
This was not the only notable phone moment for Vance that day. Later, at a press briefing with Prime Minister Orbán, a reporter urged Vance to check his phone for updates on the ongoing Iran-Israel-US conflict.
This came after President Trump posted on Truth Social on April 7, openly threatening Iran, stating, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” Trump’s increasingly alarming rhetoric has left many frustrated Trump voters questioning their support for the president.
Trump continued, “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” He also suggested that with Iran’s “total recent regime change,” there might still be a chance to avoid a US attack on Iranian infrastructure.
“Maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?” he added. “We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World.”
According to the BBC, a reporter asked Vance if he had any new information about a potential deal being reached. Vance replied, “I don’t, unless I have a text message from Steve Witkoff,” referring to the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy.
When he reached into his pocket, he found that he did, in fact, have a message from Witkoff. Trump has faced criticism on multiple fronts recently, including his reaction to people of color at a mall drawing widespread attention.
“I do have a message from Steve Witkoff,” he confirmed after looking at his phone. He then said, “Wouldn’t you like to know the subject of this message?” before adding, “But no, uh, I need to read it first before I talk about it. But here’s… What time is it in the United States right now?”
Published: Apr 8, 2026 12:32 pm