Hungary: The Truth behind the Conservative Fantasy

Nov 3, 2025 | Conservatives often point to Hungary as a model of Christian values, national strength, and anti-woke politics. But the reality is very different. In this video, I break down the myth and expose the truth.

Hungary is the most corrupt country in the EU. Its economy is weak, its media is controlled, and its government is authoritarian. Orbán’s regime uses conservative branding while enriching itself, silencing critics, and aligning with Russia and China.

Hungary is not a success story. It is a warning.

Viktor Orban’s ‘Propaganda State’ Is Starting to Show Cracks

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Hungarian leader has secured power by keeping control over the news media. Now, a political opponent is starting to show the limits of his tactics.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary has long been hailed as a model by right-wing politicians in the United States and Europe, lauded for a string of election victories and his crackdowns on migrants and on activists pushing progressive social issues.

“It’s nice to have a strong man running your country,” President Trump said last year of Mr. Orban, who has been in power for 15 years.

Mr. Orban’s strength, reinforced by a sprawling propaganda machine geared to the destruction of his opponents, has seen off would-be rivals on both the left and the right in four consecutive elections.

Now for the first time, however, he is struggling to land a knockout blow on his enemies.

His most potent current rival, Peter Magyar, a former loyalist who heads a surging opposition movement, has in recent months been savaged by media controlled by Mr. Orban’s Fidesz party as an abusive husband, a traitor, a crook and a sex pest.

The nonstop vilification — described by Mr. Magyar as a “tsunami of lies” — has been surprising in only one respect: It has not worked. » | Andrew Higgins | Reporting from Budapest and Hodmezovasarhely, Hungary | Sunday, October 12, 2025

The Rise of Illiberal Europe - The Enemy Inside the Gates | DW Documentary | Reupload

May 29, 2024 | Investigative journalist Tim Sebastian exposes the growing threat of far-right extremism in Europe. From secret neo-Nazi gatherings in Germany to the alarming rise of populist leaders, discover the chilling realities facing democracy today. Watch as he delves into the ideologies, scandals, and political maneuvers threatening to reshape the European Union.

Hungary Opposition Figures Urge Democrats to Organize against Autocratic Takeover by Trump

THE GUARDIAN: Forum speakers said Donald Trump’s second term resembles strongman Viktor Orbán’s first years in power

Democrats must organize urgently for the 2026 midterm elections and avoid a “it can’t happen here” mentality to stop Donald Trump from staging a full-scale autocratic takeover, a Hungarian opposition parliamentarian has said.

Katalin Cseh, a critic of Hungary’s strongman prime minister, Viktor Orbán, told a forum on authoritarianism that the central European country’s experience held vital lessons for Trump’s opponents in their attempts to resist his assaults on US institutions and democratic norms since his return to the White House.

Hungary was important because Trump and his “Make America great again” (Maga) movement have used Orbán and his ruling Fidesz party as a role model, she said.

“I invite everybody to study the processes that happened [in Hungary] and elsewhere, because autocratic learning is real,” said Cseh, a member of Hungary’s opposition Momentum Movement. “Backsliding just went by us like a train, without anybody realizing how far it had gotten. So it’s very important to pay attention from the very beginning … [and] to mobilize.” » | Robert Tait | Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Tens of Thousands Defy Ban to March at Budapest Pride | ABC NEWS

June 29, 2025 | Tens of thousands of people have joined a banned Pride march in Budapest, where protesters also waved anti-government signs.

Thousands of LGBTQ Activists Take to the Streets in Hungary despite Government Ban | DW News

Jun 28, 2025 | In Budapest, thousands of LGBTQ rights supporters joined the annual Pride parade, in defiance of a ban by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Activists rolled out a giant rainbow flag as they took to the streets in the march, which is being supported by Budapest's mayor, an opponent of Orbán. Hungary's ruling coalition amended laws this year to ban the event. Orbán warned that organizers and attendees would face legal consequences, including prison sentences and fines.

The parade's organizers claim it was the biggest ever Pride in Budapest .

DW Senior International Correspondent Fanny Facsar reports from the event.

Dozens of MEPs to Attend Budapest Pride in Defiance of Viktor Orbán

THE GUARDIAN: As many as 70 said to be planning to show solidarity at LGBTQ+ march after Hungary’s PM tried to ban it

Dozens of MEPs are expected to attend the Pride march in Budapest this month, in defiance of the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who has tried to ban the event.

In a debate in the European parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs from liberal, left and green groups pledged to be in Budapest on 28 June for the parade to show solidarity with gay Hungarians.

The pledges came after the city’s mayor said the event would go ahead, circumventing a law that allows police to ban LGBTQ+ marches. Gergely Karácsony said on Monday that the march would be a municipal event – and a celebration of freedom – so “no permits from authorities are needed”.

“In this city, there are no first- or second-class citizens … neither freedom, nor love can be banned, and the Budapest Pride cannot be banned either,” Karácsony said. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Isn’t it high time that Viktor Orbán went into retirement? The international political stage is no place either for people with mediæval thinking or for fossils. – © Mark Alexander

Viktor Orbán and the Transatlantic Assault on Democracy - Amb. John Shattuck

Mar 15, 2025

Hungary’s Government Submits Bill to Ban Budapest Pride Event

THE GUARDIAN: Ruling coalition continues its crackdown on LGBTQ+ people under its ‘child protection’ legislation

Hungary’s ruling coalition is continuing its crackdown on the country’s LGBTQ+ community, as members submitted a bill to parliament that would ban the popular Budapest Pride event and allow authorities to use facial recognition software to identify people attending.

The bill, presented on Monday, is almost certain to pass as the coalition has a two-thirds majority in parliament.

It would make it an offence to hold or attend events that violate Hungary’s contentious “child protection” legislation, which prohibits the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to under-18s. » | Associated Press in Budapest | Monday, March 17, 2025

Trump Considers Pulling Troops Out of Germany

THE TELEGRAPH: It is understood that the president is considering redeploying personnel to Hungary, which has maintained a close relationship with Russia

Donald Trump is considering pulling US troops from Germany and redeploying them to Eastern Europe, The Telegraph can reveal.

Mr Trump is weighing up withdrawing some 35,000 active personnel out of Germany in a move that would further sour US-Europe relations.

…

The Telegraph understands that the president is considering redeploying troops from Germany to Hungary, which has maintained a close relationship with Russia. » | Connor Stringer, Deputy US Editor | Friday, March 7, 2025

"Are We Sleepwalking into Autocracy?" Trump Embraces Authoritarian Playbook of Hungary's Orbán

Feb 12, 2025 | Is Trump embracing the authoritarian playbook of far-right Hungarian dictator Viktor Orbán? Princeton professor Kim Lane Scheppele walks us through Orbán's sudden rise to power and how the Trump administration's recent actions appear to follow his anti-democratic "blueprint," with Trump "echoing a lot of Orbán's rhetoric," consolidating power in the executive branch and bypassing federal checks and balances. "Trump is trying to break things quickly," says Scheppele, a professor of sociology and international affairs at Princeton University. She also notes Orbán's involvement in the right-wing Project 2025 initiative and his adoption of the motto "Make Europe Great Again" during Hungary's presidency of the Council of the European Union last year as further evidence of the close ties between the two leaders. As Orbán works to "consolidate this movement of anti-democratic far-right forces" in Europe, warns Scheppele, Trump is tightening his grasp on the other side of the Atlantic.

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In Speech, Orbán Hails Trump Victory and Declares Brussels His Key Adversary

EUROACTIV: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivered his annual State of the Nation speech today in which he declared the Trump administration an inspiration for Hungary, the war in Ukraine nearly at its end, and Brussels the only enemy left for his country.

In the speech in Budapest today, Orbán called US President Donald Trump “our comrade-in-arm” and attacked what he claimed the “double standards” of EU politicians.

Ukraine, a “buffer zone” between NATO and Russia

Orbán placed his trust in Trump's push for a peace deal with Russia, and said that with the war in Ukraine now concluding, the issue is now what comes afterwards – and the question, as he put it, of the “territory” of Ukraine, as a “buffer zone ” between NATO and Russia.

The European Union and American liberals would be foolish to believe that Russia would ideally sit back if Ukraine tried to join to NATO, Orbán said. Instead, he said, Ukraine would once again become a “buffer zone”.

He also asserted that Hungary would vehemently oppose EU membership for Ukraine either if joining could harm Hungarian farmers and businesses. "Ukraine will not join NATO, and whether it joins the EU is up to us," he declared. » | Anupriya Datta, Euractiv | Saturday, Fdebruary 22, 2025

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on USAID, Trump, Immigration, NATO, and the Russia-Ukraine War

Feb 14, 2025 | “Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is by far the longest-serving head of state in Europe, and by this point has been vindicated on pretty much everything. So when he says that going forward it’s Ukraine, not Russia, that may be the biggest threat to the West, it’s worth paying attention.” – Tucker Carlson

Hungary PM Viktor Orbán to Meet AfD Party Leader Alice Weidel | BBC News

Feb 11, 2025 | Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, is due to meet the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party leader, Alice Weidel, in Budapest.

Weidel's far right party shares Alban’s desire to rebuild their relations with Russia, despite the ongoing Ukraine war, as well as his strong anti-immigration stance.

The meeting comes less than two weeks before a parliamentary election in Germany in which the AfD is expected to come a strong second.

Hungary – The Sick Man of Europe? | The Bottom Line

Dec 4, 2024 | By all accounts, the Hungarian economy is not doing well. The country just slid into a technical recession; the statistics office recorded the biggest slump in investment in 30 years; the Hungarian currency, the forint, is doing worse than its CEE peers; and the government's running a big deficit with access to some of the EU funds available to the country severed.

‘Cautionary Tale’: Trump Wants to ‘Remake America’ — Like This Recession-plagued Country

Nov 26, 2024 | Donald Trump is inspired by Hungary and its leader Viktor Orbán, seeking to remake America using authoritarian policies similar to his, critics say.

Mr Orbán, We Want Our Money Back! No More EU Funds for Hungary! Daniel Freund

Oct 15, 2024

Hungary's Orban Says Corks Will Pop If Trump Wins US Election! MEPs Reply Singing 'Bella Ciao'

Oct 9, 2024

Es redet Putins Marionette! – © Mark Alexander

Orbán's concern for the rights of gays in the EU due to illegal immigration is a bit rich, isn't it? Especially when the rights of gays in Hungary leave so much to be desired. Check out this article by Human Rights Watch as just one example of Orbán’s faux concern for gay rights in the EU!

LGBT Rights Under Renewed Pressure in Hungary: Children Harmed in the Name of Protection »

And this one:

As Governments Demonize LGBTQ+ Rights, Children Lose the Most »

EU Debates: Ursula von der Leyen Attacks Orbán’s Support for Russia in Fiery Speech to European Parliament

Ocy 9, 2024

America and Hungary, a Far-Right Love Affair

Aug 20, 2024 | Matthew Cassel travels to Budapest during Viktor Orban’s reelection to explore why so many right-wing Americans are traveling to Hungary, and what they hope to learn from Central Europe’s most autocratic ruler. This segment is from the show ‘VICE’ which originally aired in May 2022.