This is an adapted excerpt from the Nov. 25 episode of "The ReidOut."
Over the last decade, Hungary, a small central European nation, has become a favorite of right-wing politicians, former Fox News hosts and, of course, President-elect Donald Trump. That’s largely because of one man: Hungary’s authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
As Trump’s second term quickly approaches, one former member of the Hungarian parliament, Gábor Scheiring, is sounding the alarm over the inspiration the president-elect could take from Hungary’s leader.
Much like the American right, Orbán has gone out of his way to stoke division by spreading fear about racial diversity and demonizing immigrants.
“Trump’s goal this time is to remake the American government to enhance his power,” Scheiring warns in a new piece for Politico Magazine. “He isn’t the first modern right-wing populist to attempt this — he is following a playbook pioneered by Viktor Orbán.”
When Orbán came to power in 2010, some of his first acts took aim at the independence of Hungary’s judiciary and news media. Orbán rewrote the country’s constitution to force senior judges to retire and set up a new court system overseen directly by his government. He consolidated control over the media. According to experts, 90% of all media in Hungary is now directly or indirectly controlled by Fidesz, Orbán’s party.
Orbán and his allies have also tightened their grip over Hungary’s electoral system. They’ve changed laws to rig the system in his favor and keep him in power in perpetuity.
Much like the American right, Orbán has gone out of his way to stoke division by spreading fear about racial diversity and demonizing immigrants. He’s even embraced the far-right concept of “replacement theory” and warned against “race mixing” in Europe. Orbán has blocked asylum-seekers from entering Hungary and referred to Middle Eastern refugees as “Muslim invaders.”
He’s offered tax breaks and subsidies to boost the Hungarian birth rate for a future without immigration. Orbán and his party have also passed laws prioritizing “patriotic” education, tightened control over Hungary’s state universities and passed laws banning LGBTQ+ content in schools and on children’s television.
Sound familiar?
Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson and JD Vance are just a few on the American right who’ve sung Orbán’s praises.
Orbán has also openly cultivated a relationship with the Republican Party here in the United States. He’s hosted events for the Conservative Political Action Conference in Budapest and was the keynote speaker at a CPAC conference in Texas in 2022.
It’s an authoritarian lovefest that goes both ways. Trump, Tucker Carlson, who even hosted a week of shows from Hungary before leaving Fox News, and Vice President-elect JD Vance are just a few on the American right who’ve sung Orbán’s praises.
The reality is, Orbán’s Hungary is very much a cautionary tale for Americans. As we prepare to face our own budding autocrat, we should heed the lessons of someone who lived through Orbán’s power grab. As Scheiring writes:
“Hungary’s key lesson is you don’t protect democracy by talking about democracy — you protect democracy by protecting people. Only a democracy that works for the people is sustainable.”
Allison Detzel contributed.