Magyar's American-Style Campaign Spectacularly Bolstered by US Embassy's Celebrities

Hungary's new opposition party hopeful Peter Magyar recently admitted that he was also approached indirectly by US Ambassador to Budapest David Pressman. The political newcomer's campaign is being helped by a number of Hungarian celebrities who the ambassador has hosted from actor Ervin Nagy and the reality show star VV Zsolt to the Partizan media chief and Youtuber Edina Pottyondy.

US Ambassador David Pressman holds a press briefing after his arrival at Budapest's Liszt Ferenc Airport, on September 2, 2022 (Photo: MTI/Szilard Koszticsak)

In April 2023, Ervin Nagy, accompanied by Jobbik MEP Marton Gyongyosi, attended a Passover Seder feast hosted by US Ambassador David Pressman in Budapest. As reported by Magyar Nemzet, the Hungarian right-wing politician and Biden's appointee for ambassador to Hungary celebrated the Jewish religious dinner together with among others, actor Ervin Nagy, a well-known supporter of Free SZFE and other left-wing protests.

In 2017, on RTL the actor insulted Hungarians while making his case in support of the dollar-Left, which had been funded from abroad in the first half of the 2010s:

I would prefer to live under the leadership of the boring Gordon Bajnai. But [Hungarian] society is not yet ready to want a kind, intelligent, inner-city cultured individual.

Biden's man also recently hosted VV Zsolt aka Zsolt Osvath. "Hungary's next generation has a lot to say about their country, their world and their future. It is important to listen to them," Pressman wrote. Of course, Zsolt VV also felt compelled to promote Peter Magyar. After the budding politician released a recording of a private conversation with his then wife, the influencer enthused posting: 

How about this morning's audio recording? Well, it blew at nine o'clock. And I mean really exploded! How can Peter Magyar cope? The man's probably a mutant, he's not sleeping! I don't know how he does it? Or what he's on? Give me some of that, please. [...] The guy is something else.

The reality show star-turned influencer openly campaigned for the opposition Dollar-Left and joint PM candidate Peter Marki-Zay, who also appeared multiple times on his podcast during the 2021 primaries. In his 2021 primary speech, Marki-Zay thanked the podcaster for his help. Osvath was also the organizer/moderator of the Dollar-Left's commemoration of Hungary's 1956 revolution against the Soviets on October 23, 2021. On April 20, 2022, he admitted that he was an advisor to the Dollar-Left.

I tried to advise on the social media aspect of central communication. I offered to help the parties produce videos and provide equipment. Some of them took advantage of this.

In 2021, ZSHOWtime Trade and Service Ltd., a business of which Zsolt Osvath was a leading face and also played a key role in the left-wing election campaign, closed its first full year of business with a profit of HUF 33 million (EUR 84 thousand), Origo.hu reported back in 2022. The portal added that Osvath was an outside partner in the company, which made an exceptionally high profit on net sales of €90 million.

In his opposition primaries victory speech on October 17, 2021, Peter Marki-Zay also called for a special round of applause for Partizan media. 

By his own admission, Peter Magyar had no explanation why, but he soon found himself in the Partizan studio after launching a public career based on revenge.

Interestingly, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), supported by the US Congress, has provided a grant of 98 thousand dollars (approximately 36 million forints) for Partizan's 2022 election roadshow. In addition, the YouTube channel's head Marton Gulyas has not denied that they are funded by US money, and last year he participated in a month-long US fellowship program, also funded by the US government.

Gulyas himself openly acknowledged the source of their support: 

George Soros is at the end of the list, there is no denying it.

 In fact, Partizan's Jakab Toth also attended a dinner hosted by US Ambassador David Pressman.

According to 444.hu, another whistleblower, Edina Pottyondy, was also present at the Ambassador's July 2023 garden party in Zugliget. In the words of the former Momentum politician-advisor 

it makes no difference if Magyar was a good husband or friend or whether he was abusive or abused, or whether he is for Fidesz or the opposition, the audio recording he released is an indictment of the Hungarian government. 

Pottyondy sees only the possibility of Peter Magyar being a bad person.

Interestingly, the site "Jolvanezigy" also used the term "dropped" in connection with Magyar's released recording, as did Pottyondy.

 

Finally, it is worth noting that the association taken over by Peter Magyar is registered in a Budapest District 2, Kelemen Laszlo Street apartment owned by Benedict 2002 Investment and Service Ltd., according to Tuzfalcsoport. As they write, "the company is owned by a couple of entrepreneurs, Barnabas B. and Csilla B. S.'. [...] the former is also involved in Dadu Art Ltd. The owner of this performing arts company is choreographer Eva Duda, who is the spouse of actor/activist NoAr aka Aron Molnar."

According to the blog, "it is now quite obvious why NoAr backed Peter Magyar a few days ago. [...] And that Peter Magyar's movement may have been linked to NoAr and the American left from the very beginning, which is proven by the fact that on the Legyel Te a valtozas website, the joint logo of NoAr and of the US-Left funded Tanitanek Movement, along with a snapshot of the Hungarian teachers' demonstration. It is worth remembering that the Human Platform Association behind Tanitanek received 54.5 million HUF (nearly 140 thousand EUR) in foreign funding in 2022 alone. The Association received a record amount of money from Democracy and Pluralism, the same organization that gave tens of millions to Marton Gulyas's Partizan Foundation."

From Ervin Nagy and VV Zsolt to Partizan and Edina Pottyondy, a whole host of dollar-celebrities are helping build up Peter Magyar in a variety of ways.

Cover photo: David Pressman, Ambassador of the United States of America to Hungary (Photo: MTI/Szilard Koszticsak)