Gergely Gulyas Reveals When Donald Trump May Visit Hungary

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to visit Hungary before the end of his current term, said Gergely Gulyas, PM Orban's office chief told the Karoli Free University event. The minister also addressed the recent protest by judges, calling it an absurdity that even they must recognize, as evidenced by their low turnout at last weekend’s demonstration. According to Mr. Gulyas, Brussels is stealing Hungarian students’ money by preventing students at Hungary’s restructured universities from participating in the Horizon and Erasmus programs. In his view, this is ultimately a case of anti-Hungarian sentiments.

Gergely Gulyas (Photo: MTI / Tibor Illyes)

Common sense dictates constitutional amendment 

Speaking about the Fundamental Law, which he co-authored with Jozsef Szajer, Mr. Gulyas emphasized that his political opponents resent it because it is the first democratically adopted constitution in Hungary. The world is changing rapidly. Back in 2010, it was not even a question that a father is a man, a mother is a woman, and a person is either male or female.

It appears that the Western world no longer follows the dictates of common sense, making the constitutional amendment necessary.

– Mr. Gulyas said. 

He also pointed out that the European Union itself was a factor in the amendment. "Brussels is constantly trying to seize more and more powers, which made these changes necessary. The modern world demands increasingly rapid responses, which is why governments are expanding their powers. Moreover, it is the government’s responsibility to address most economic issues and crisis situations. The significance of the parliament will not diminish as long as any government must to secure a majority there," he noted.

Composure and illiberalism

Laszlo Trocsanyi remarked that he was surprised by Mr. Gulyas’s unshakable composure at government press briefings. In response, the minister said it was not something he had to make a great effort to maintain. "These debates are about content and style. Any aggressiveness and cynicism would backfire. Journalistic expertise was once better than it is today. One of the major obstacles to meaningful public discourse is that there are now too few well-informed journalists who ask good questions," he observed.

Mr. Gulyas explained that he avoids using the term "illiberalism," because - in its classic sense - it now applies to Brussels.

We are the true liberals because we insist that freedom of speech must not be restricted. The problem is that what is now called Western liberal democracy is, in fact, illiberal democracy,

– he argued.

Role models and influences

Discussing his role models, Mr. Gulyas recalled that former Prime Minister Jozsef Antall was a hero of the regime change who bore an immense responsibility in leading the government. He speculated that had Mr. Antall’s illness struck him in retirement rather than during his tenure, he might have lived longer than three years, as his sense of duty kept him going. The late prime minister’s legacy, he said, stands as one of the finest examples of public service, as he championed conservative, civic values in opposition to the barbarism of communism.

Mr. Gulyas said he's had a close friendship with Imre Konya since he was 20, and considers his role in the regime change to be of outstanding importance. He also highlighted the contributions of Gyorgy Szabad and Peter Tolgyessy. He said he no longer maintains much contact with the latter, although he still follows Mr. Tolgyessy's analyses with interest, as he believes the political scientist represents a high intellectual standard in Hungarian public life.

Cover photo: Gergely Gulyas (Photo: MTI / Tibor Illyes)