Trump and Orban Potential Catalysts for Restoring Freedom Worldwide

This week in the United States, significant events unfolded. The Supreme Court delivered a clear message to progressives who have a knack of disregarding democratic traditions and, following the withdrawal of superdelegate Nikki Haley, former US President Donald Trump emerged as the sole presidential candidate for the Republicans.

Borítókép: Az Alapjogokért Központ Szuperkedd: a döntés napja címmel tartott beszélgetése (Fotó: Kónya Rita)

The Budapest-based Center for Fundamental Rights hosted the third installment of its event series entitled "We Win, They Lose," with a press discussion dubbed "Super Tuesday: Decision Day." Dan Schneider, Vice President of MRC Free Speech America, and Zoltan Koskovics, a geopolitical analyst at the Hungarian think tank, delved into the state of US democracy and the complexities surrounding this year's presidential race.

Opening the discussion, Peter Torcsi, the director of operations at the think tank, delivered a welcome speech. He highlighted significant developments in the United States this week, including a unanimous Supreme Court verdict rejecting the possibility of removing a candidate from the ballots on political grounds.

The decision has restored the rule of law and sent a crucial message to progressives who have a tendency to disrespect democratic traditions,

Mr Torcsi stressed.

Another pivotal event was Super Tuesday, featuring primaries in fifteen US states. Notably, some states witnessed former US President Donald Trump securing victories with a commanding lead of over 70 percentage points. In contrast, Nikki Haley emerged victorious in just one state, Vermont, by a narrow margin.

Peter Torcsi attends a discussion at the Center for Fundamental Rights' "Super Tuesday: Decision Day" event (Photo: Rita Konya)

Following Haley's withdrawal, the path became clear for Donald Trump to become the official Republican presidential nominee, a formality expected to be confirmed at the upcoming summer's Republican convention.

This is also crucial news for us, Hungarians, as it does make a difference who sits in the White House,

the attendees emphasized during the discussion.

In terms of mindset, the right wing in Hungary shares common ground with American conservatives, particularly in their rejection of illegal immigration and emphasis on the importance of families. US conservatives are united in their desire to restore order in the world. However, achieving this goal requires a demonstration of strength, a quality lacking in both the current US administration and the EU's leadership, the think tank's director of operations emphasized.

Joe Biden does not function as the President of the United States at all,

declared Dan Schneider, Vice President of MRC Free Speech America, adding that Mr Biden is merely a figurehead.

A week ago, I would have said he probably wouldn't be the [Democratic] presidential candidate, but now I think I'm going back to my original point that he will be the face of the party, but he won't be the brains behind the campaign and a possible presidency,

he explained. 

Regarding the Democrats' attempt to remove Donald Trump from the ballot, Dan Schneider expressed his astonishment, finding it "shocking." The reference they used was the former president's alleged involvement in the Capitol riots, but Trump has not even been charged with that in court.

If the rule of law is anything to go by, anyone accused of wrongdoing deserves a fair trial,

Mr Schneider emphasized. He added that the constitutional impeachment proceedings brought by the House of Representatives did not even go to trial, and no evidence was presented.

But this is just one of the legal attacks on the former president. "Donald Trump is being accused of trumped-up charges", which are not based on criminal law but on legal theories, the expert underlined. The only exception is the documents handling case. But all previous presidents have done this and no one but Trump has been charged with it, including Joe Biden, who hasn't been prosecuted either. However, it is unlikely to go to trial before the presidential election.

The American media have long ceased to function as real journalism, now they function only as an arm of the Democratic Party,

Schneider pointed out, adding that a similar phenomenon can be observed in Europe.

There aren't any secret meetings between the media and politicians to develop a common strategy. There is no need for secret meetings as they have the same goals. They function almost like a choir without a conductor, everyone knows their job,

the american expert said.

A further problem is that the tech giants, especially Google, deliberately bury conservative opinions and information to shift public opinion to the left.

Joe Biden was made a presidential candidate because he appeared more moderate than Bernie Sanders, whose socialist views were not shared by the American public. For the Democrats, the person of the candidate does not matter, it is the machine behind him that runs everything. 

For Democrats, the substance doesn't matter, it only matters that they meet certain requirements. On that basis, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer would be a suitable candidate for the Democrats, but so would California Governor Gavin Newsome. But Michelle Obama is unlikely to want to run because she simply doesn't like people, Schneider says. As for the current vice-president, Kamala Harris, she is extremely unpopular and has achieved virtually nothing during her tenure.

The conversation naturally turned to Prime Minister Viktor Orban's trip to the US this week. Dan Schneider said that the Hungarian Prime Minister is a strong leader who knows that leadership lies in the strength of the people behind him. He expressed the hope that this will be discussed in the meeting with Donald Trump, and that the two leaders will be a catalyst for the restoration of freedom around the world. 

Finally, Dan Schneider talked about CPAC in Hungary, which will take place here for the third time on April 25-26. He said that Hungary was the perfect venue for the event and the Center for Fundamental Rights, as the country's leading rights think-tank, was the ideal partner to organize it.

Cover photo: The Center for Fundamental Rights held a discussion entitled Super Tuesday: Decision Day (Photo: Rita Konya)