budapest, hungary
CNN
—
With slogans like “Drain the Swamp” plastered in the halls, one Republican after another endorsed tough immigration policies, crackdowns on LGBTQ rights and the fight against “woke ideology.”
The scene could have been any recent Republican event, except it was taking place at the Conservative Political Action Conference’s third annual convention in Hungary, about 4,000 miles from the United States.
The visiting Republican officials’ praise for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his dictatorship reflected how the small Central European nation was struggling to survive President Trump’s second term, despite what international observers have described as an alarming setback in democratic rights. It showed how the eye could be an unlikely model.
The growing support for Orbán on the American right is based on the millions of dollars his government has spent on lobbying in the United States and new ties between Hungarian and American conservative think tanks.
In his opening speech at the CPAC conference in Budapest last week, Prime Minister Orbán endorsed former President Donald Trump’s re-election and painted this year’s elections in the United States and the European Union in a militaristic light.
“Let’s make America great again and let’s make Europe great again!” OrbándeclaredHe continued in English, then in Hungarian: “Go, Donald Trump!” Go, European sovereignists! Ride your horse, don your armor, take to the battlefield and start your campaign. ”
President Trump, who welcomed the Hungarian leader to his Mar-a-Lago resort in March, sent a prerecorded video message to the meeting that reflected similar themes. The former president called Orbán a “great man” and praised “the many Hungarian patriots who are proudly fighting on the front lines of the fight to save Western civilization.”
The bromance between the two leaders comes as some Trump supporters are keeping an eye on Orbán’s strategy as he plots his possible return to the White House. In his own video message, Trump confidant Steve Bannon described Hungary as “an inspiration to the world” and called Orbán “one of my heroes in the world today, in addition to President Trump.” ” he called.
After President Trump’s defeat in 2020, “American conservatives began to explore what the challenges of successful conservative governance would be.” He moved from Dallas to Budapest and currently runs the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs. said Gladden Papin, a leading conservative political theorist. Run a research organization. “When American conservatives look to Hungary, they are looking at a prime minister whose government actually lived up to the slogans they promised.”
Szilard Kostisak/MTI/AP
Participants sing the national anthem during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Hungarian Conservative Political Action Conference in Budapest.
Mr. Orban’s critics and commentators say that during his 14 years in power, he has turned Hungary into a laboratory for conservative policies and eroded democratic rights and civil society protections. European Union officials.
Mr. Orbán has concentrated power by firing judges, changing election rules to favor his party, cracking down on NGOs, and appointing supporters to key institutions. His government built a fence along the country’s southern border and passed stricter immigration policies during the 2015 immigration crisis. He has tightened the reins on state media and narrowed the space for dissent.
The prime minister also promoted a Christian nationalist view of Hungarian society, passed laws restricting transgender rights and adoption by same-sex couples, and changed the constitutional definition of marriage to only unions between a man and a woman. Redefined and banned material related to LGBTQ issues. at school.
These are the policies some of President Trump’s allies hope he will adopt if he returns to the White House next year. (Trump himself has previously insisted that same-sex marriage would be resolved by law.)
Papin said in an interview that Orbán’s platform “represents the secret to preserving national identity in a conservative way.” “American conservative politicians had a negative view of government. They need to think about how to use government,” as Mr. Orbán did.
The rhetoric displayed at CPAC Hungary, an offshoot of the decades-old political rally in the United States, showed that the American right is increasingly aligned with that idea. Conservatives from the United States, Europe and elsewhere traveled to Budapest to participate in the two-day event organized by a Hungarian government-funded think tank.
The meeting and speeches were held at a conference center located in a large park on the west bank of the Danube. There were posters posted at the venue with English-language slogans typical of President Trump’s rallies, such as “Let’s drain the swamp!”and “We win, they lose.” at least one of his participantsI woreShirts emblazoned with the faces of Trump and Orbán proclaimed the two leaders as “saviors of the world.”
Security guards told reporters not to film inside the park, and organizers rejected CNN’s request to attend the meeting, writing in an email that the venue was a “security zone.”
“If your organization’s alertness is significantly reduced, we look forward to participating in future events,” the email said. Several other independent news outlets received similar denials.
Three Republican senators spoke at the meeting, and prominent Republicans including Bannon, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, and President Trump’s former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows sent video messages and attended. was carried away by someone.
Republicans praised Orbán despite his authoritarian tendencies. Lake passionately said that meeting the prime minister “changed my life.” “Hungary has become one of the most successful models of leadership in conservative principles and governance,” said Congressman Andy Harris of Maryland.
Zoltan Mate/MTI/AP
Arizona State Senate Republican candidate Kari Lake addresses CPAC’s Hungarian delegation via video message.
“Hungarian immigration policy should serve as a model for the United States when it comes to borders, border security, and immigration enforcement,” said Arizona Representative Paul Gosar. “I hope and pray that one day the United States will prioritize the safety and security of its citizens as well.”
Hosting CPAC is just one example of how Orbán and his allies have worked to build relationships with American conservatives. Since Orbán became Hungary’s prime minister in 2010, his government has paid at least $4.4 million to U.S. lobbyists, according to a CNN review of disclosures filed with the Justice Department. The lobbyists met with members of Congress, touted Hungary’s economy and strict border policies, and coordinated appearances by Hungarian officials in right-wing U.S. media, according to the filing.
Recently, pro-Orbán groups have also made connections, although there have been no reports of foreign lobbying. Documents obtained by the Southern Poverty Law Center show that a foundation funded by the Hungarian government has helped American conservatives like Christopher Rufo inspire a right-wing movement against “critical race theory” in schools. It paid grants to writers and activists.
Two U.S. nonprofit organizations actively planning policies for President Trump’s second term have expressed interest in Hungary and Orbán’s model. The Heritage Foundation, which released a more than 900-page policy roadmap called “Project 2025,” and the America First Policy Institute, another nonprofit working to prepare for President Trump’s second term, both It is affiliated with a think tank that receives funding. From the Hungarian government.
The cooperation includes a visit by researchers from pro-Trump groups to Hungary to learn about its policies. István Kiss, executive director of the Danube Institute, which is linked to Orbán, told the Hungarian publication that the partnership shows the interest American conservatives have in their country. , suggested that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ policies restricting discussion of LGBTQ issues in schools may be unjust. Inspired by the Orbán government.
“Hungary has become a beacon of what would happen if the Trumpists took over the world,” said Princeton University sociologist Kim Lane Schepere, an expert on Hungarian politics. Prime Minister Orbán “wants a friendly government that does not demand that Hungary return to democracy,” she said.
In Budapest, critics of Orban’s government argued in interviews with CNN that Americans should see Hungary as a warning sign rather than a model to emulate.
Zuzsanna Šeleny, a former member of Prime Minister Orbán’s party who broke with him and now works for a pro-democracy group, said the policies promoted by the prime minister deprive Hungarians of their basic rights. said.
“Democracy means fair competition between political forces to hold power,” Sheleni said. “We don’t have this.”
President Orbán has promoted rhetoric on LGBTQ issues and immigration, avoiding talking about “the problems of our hospitals, the problems of our social services, the problems of our teachers, the problems of all the important institutions of this country.” We have serious problems right now,” said Marton Gurias, a left-wing political commentator who runs a popular YouTube channel.
But some American conservatives who flew to the country for CPAC seemed more focused on Budapest’s prospects than on democratic rights. Right-wing influencers strutted along the banks of the Danube River and marveled at comments made by conservative political strategist Joey Mannarino, who attended the conference.explainedVideos on social media show a clear absence of homelessness and crime.
“We need to figure out what this country has done and take it back,” he declared.
Kyung Lah and Anna-Maja Rappard reported from Budapest, Casey Tolan from New York and Curt Devine from Washington.
