Donald Trump’s second presidency could fundamentally reshape US-Hungary relations and mark the beginning of a new era for conservative politics worldwide, Miklos Szantho, director general of the Center for Fundamental Rights, highlighted at the conference Peace Through Strength: The World Aligns with Trump and Hungary in Budapest on Friday.
Speaking about the ideological kinship between the Hungarian and American right-wing, Szantho underscored:
God, homeland, family. There is a new compass in the USA: America First. And in Hungary for 15 years, decision-making has not been based on the Morse codes of foreign lighthouses, but on Hungarian self-esteem.
Speaking about the geopolitical context, he said that both Trump and Orban are advocates of peace: both Trump and Orban see peace as good and war as bad. He added that a growing number of people in the Western world are beginning to realize that this stance is correct, he added.
He also touched on the struggle against globalist forces, specifically mentioning the deep state and the influence of international elites:
This is the machine that spreads the narrative that the two leaders are deceitful populists. And once they have won the elections, it attacks them with power issues.
Regarding Israel, he pointed out that the Western mainstream has sunk into anti-Semitism amid the pursuit of migrant votes, while Hungary has proven to be Israel's strongest, and indeed perhaps only, European ally in recent years, in every case and in every forum. Viktor Orban has also been emphasizing the simple truth of the need for peace in Ukraine for years, he said.
Mario Bramnick, chairman of the Latino Coalition for Israel, remarked that the 2024 US presidential election was not just a contest between the Democratic left and the Republican right. Instead, he described it as a war between light and darkness, good and evil, freedom and tyranny. The American people rejected woke ideology, socialism, and globalism, and said yes to family, faith, Christianity, and Judeo-Christian values, he said, referring to Donald Trump’s electoral victory.
Regarding US-Hungary relations, Bramnick pointed out that Orban’s policies closely align with Trump’s, citing examples such as the strengthening of family values, border protection, and national sovereignty. Hungary and the United States have the same enemies, he added.
Miklos Szantho believes that Trump's second term could create an opportunity for conservative forces around the world to strengthen and confront the challenges of globalism. November 5 is not just a political turning point, but marks the beginning of an era of patriotism, he concluded.
Cover photo: Miklos Szantho at the conference organized by the Center for Fundamental Rights (Photo: Attila Polyak)
