“[W]e are an example that somebody or a country which is based on traditional values, on national identity, based on tradition of Christianity.”
QUICK FACTS:
- Tucker Carlson traveled to Hungary—a small country in the middle of Central Europe—on Thursday to interview Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
- Orbán stands against the “new society” proposed by more progressive European nations who allow migrants easier access to their lands, which Orbán characterizes as a “post-Christian, post-national” notion.
- Orbán rejects “leftist liberal government,” believing it’s too “risky” to allow, for example, “Muslim communities,” to be “mixed up” among original inhabitants of “Christian communities.”
- “We, Hungarians decided not to take that risk, to mix up our society,” says Orbán.
- He characterizes Hungary as a place of “free movement” where “[t]he Christians and the conservatives try to find a better home.”
- Carlson asks, “Why can’t we have something like that in our country?”
HUNGARY’S SUCCESS:
- “[W]hat is going on here is building up a society,” Orbán explained to Carlson, “which is very successful, economically, politically, culturally, even in demography we have some success—family policy.”
- “So, what you can see here could be described as a success story,” Orbán adds, going on to say that the reason for Hungary’s success is the country’s implementation of a “conservative national alternative which is more successful at everyday life at the level of them than the liberal ones.”
- “[W]e are an example that somebody or a country which is based on traditional values, on national identity,” says Orbán, “based on tradition of Christianity could be successful or sometimes even more successful than the leftist liberal government.”
WHAT ORBÁN THINKS OF DONALD TRUMP AND THE ‘AMERICA FIRST’ MOVEMENT:
- Orbán also admits that Donald Trump “was a great friend of Hungary,” adding that President Trump was “very much supportive to us, not just personally, but politically also, so there was a good friendship between the two countries also.”
- The Prime Minister believes that the ‘America First’ movement “is a very positive message.”
- He says that the America First message is positive even for Central Europe “because it means if for Donald Trump, America First; for us Hungary could be first as well, and let’s cooperate on that basis.”
- “So that was a very good foreign policy, very effective and we cooperated very well.”
ORBÁN’S MESSAGE TO AMERICANS:
- The Hungarian Prime Minister predicts that “sooner or later, the Americans will realize that issues in Hungary must be decided by the Hungarians, and it is better even for the leftist liberal government in the United States to have a good partner, which is a conservative Christian Democratic supported long term by the people, Hungarian people.”
- “It’s better to have that than a government, which is supported by America and take the position, but losing after several months and creating destabilization and uncertainty.”
- “So, not loved, but stable partner is better than the uncertain new one. That I hope the Americans will understand it,” Orbán concludes.
HOW THE EUROPEAN UNION TREATS ORBÁN:
- Prim Minister Orbán says that in response to his country’s more Christian- and nationalist-leaning policies, the European Union (E.U.) will “attack Hungary so harshly.”
- “[T]hat’s the reason why my personal reputation is very bad, you know, I’m treated like the black sheep of the European Union personally, and sometimes Hungary as well, unfortunately,” Orbán goes on to say.
BACKGROUND:
- Hundreds of thousands of migrants appeared on Hungary’s southern border in 2015.
- While many nations in the E.U., such as Angela Merkel’s Germany, allowed millions into their countries, Hungary alone said No.
- Orbán’s decision to reject these migrants was “coming from the God, the nature, so all arguments with us because this is our country, this is our population. This is our history. This is our language, so we have to do that,” he told Carlson.
- “This is not a human right to come here. No way, because it’s our land,” the Prime Minister went on to say. “It’s a nation, it’s a community. Families, history, tradition, language.”
- Hungary’s next election is in April. Orbán says that although “the international left will do everything what they can do, probably even more to change the government here in Hungary,” he and his party “are aware of that and we are prepared for that, how to take the fight and fight back.”
