Mate Kocsis: Time To Dispell the Left-Wing Fairytale About Independence – Interview

It is contrary to the interests of Hungarian democracy for a representative of a foreign great power - such as David Pressman - to establish an open system of communication and financing against the elected government. Therefore, uncovering and publishing foreign funds is the most important objective, Mate Kocsis summarized in his interview with Magyar Nemzet regarding the USAID scandal and the tasks ahead for the Hungarian government and parliament. Fidesz's parliamentary group leader highlighted the consequences of the Trump-Zelensky meeting in Washington: Europe’s leaders are making one mistake after another, and instead of further supporting the war, they should be demanding peace. Regarding Peter Magyar and the Tisza Party, he stated that they would surrender the country’s independence, comply with Brussels’ austerity demands, and join those in the pro-war camp.

Mete Kocsis, Fidesz's parliamentary group leader, February 27, 2025, Budapest (Photo: Istvan Mirko / Magyar Nemzet)

• Uncovering and publishing foreign monies is the most important objective, as those who live off such structures do not like transparency.
• If it is proven, beyond doubt, that another state financed a politically motivated protest in Hungary, there is nothing left to discuss—that is checkmate.
• We must dispell the left-wing fairytale about independence in order to establish clarity in public affairs.
• The Ukrainian state has decided to allocate money, time, and energy to discredit the Hungarian prime minister in both international and domestic public opinion. They have found journalists for this task both abroad and in Hungary.
• A significant portion of European leaders are pro-war and radically liberal. For them, cooperating with the new conservative US President is akin to making a pact with the devil.
• Europe is in not in a good position, making mistake after mistake. Instead of war, they should be demanding peace; instead of conflict, they should be building relations with the U.S.; instead of increasing military spending, they should be enhancing competitiveness. But they are not doing so. The Hungarian government is taking a different path, which is why Brussels is punishing us.
• The drug situation has deteriorated significantly in recent times. The state had to take action—there had been no crackdown before, but now law enforcement will step up more aggressively.
• The Tisza Party would surrender the country’s independence. As their leader put it, we should give up a little bit of sovereignty. They would comply with Brussels’ austerity expectations, which we have resisted for years. With them, the country would switch to the pro-war camp, support Brussels’ migration policies, spread gender ideology, and abolish the utility price reduction scheme.

– We live in exciting times. The Trump administration, upon taking office, revved up its engines astonishingly within hours. USAID payments were frozen, and a vast financial network influencing the internal affairs of countries worldwide was exposed. The prime minister’s annual state-of-the-nation address also placed great emphasis on the corruption system, which, according to Viktor Orban, has two heads: one in Washington and one in Brussels. But what affects us directly is that there is also a Budapest branch, against which the prime minister has vowed a strong response. He illustrated his determination with a phrase from soccer terminology: laces, first! How should we envision this? What is the plan?

Mate Kocsis, Fidesz's parliamentary group leader (Photo: Istvan Mirko)

– In short, I could say that parliament must pass the necessary legislation in the spring session, while government agencies will begin their investigative work. Government Commissioner Andras Laszlo will soon travel to the United States to gather all available data and information that can help identify the left-wing political corruption network that has operated in Hungary over the past years and decades.

The USAID scandal exposed by the new American administration has multiple aspects — besides the political aspect, the issue of sovereignty is also critical.

When we established the Sovereignty Protection Office, we also promised that if new challenges arise in maintaining the country’s independence, we will respond effectively at the legislative level. And this is what's gonna happen this spring.

– The USAID scandal has serious consequences in Serbia as well. Authorities there have already conducted raids on several NGOs, interrogated around two hundred people, and arrested several individuals. Our southern neighbor is clearly undertaking a major cleanup.

– That is true. In Serbia, the atmosphere is much more intense, and the political system is far more fragile than ours. The American leftists have dug deeper trenches there with their millions of dollars, creating a severe political and social crisis. The Serbian state has also faced an intense and visible attack on its sovereignty, and they too must defend themselves.

– That's understandable. But since the Sovereignty Protection Office has already been mentioned, it should be noted that when it was established, parliament also passed the Sovereignty Protection Law package, meaning that legal provisions already exist to counter foreign influence. What has changed? Has Hungary faced new, previously unknown challenges?

– When we created that law, we already knew a lot, but there was even more that we only suspected. By now, this ratio has reversed—we have much more concrete knowledge than mere suspicions. We owe this decisive shift to the new US President, Donald Trump, and his administration.

We have always known that the part of the media that calls itself independent is, in reality, financed from abroad. Besides exerting constant political pressure, they frequently engage in multinational economic or corporate lobbying.

However, when the Sovereignty Protection Law was passed, the long list of USAID funding recipients was not yet known.

– When will the public be able to see this list?

– The data will be gradually disclosed. It is important to clarify that we are talking about two major systems and various financing structures within them. One is the world of American dollars, where left-wing U.S. governments have used American taxpayers’ money to influence foreign countries. One striking example is Georgia, where, according to current knowledge, they spent $25 million—approximately ten billion forints—to promote electromobility. A common practice is to hide political actions behind fabricated programs. The other major financing system is where the European Commission spends millions of euros from the citizens of EU member states. The dollar networks also have side channels, meaning that these operations were not solely funded from American taxpayers' money  — the well-known George Soros has also played a role, but we can find several U.S. corporations among the financiers, too. Hungary encountered the dollar interference in 2022, and the European Commission intends to use its politically driven euros to seize power in Hungary in 2026.

– Is it possible to know which other companies are involved?

– This information will also be disclosed later.

– Has it been uncovered how these funds have reached domestic organizations, and through which channels?

– They created an extremely convoluted system for financing. It is already clear that U.S. funds often do not arrive directly at a Hungarian political party, pseudo-NGO, or media outlet but are funneled through European foundations. The dollars first enter Europe and are then transferred through European organizations, basically as intra-EU transactions.

In many cases, this is how they try to conceal the American origin of the funds and to circumvent EU regulations that prohibit foreign funding. In many cases, they also use cash.

One might recall the 2022 general election campaign when an opposition organizer had a car accident on the M3 highway, and a massive amount of cash spilled out of the vehicle.

– Enforcing sanctions is no easier than uncovering this intricate financing system. So, legally speaking, what activities can be deemed contrary to Hungarian interests?

– It runs counter to, for instance, the interests of Hungarian democracy for a foreign great power representative—such as David Pressman—to establish an open system of communication and financing against the elected government. Uncovering and publishing foreign funds is the most important goal, as those who live off such structures do not like transparency.

Over the past few years, groups have frequently emerged out of nowhere, always seeming to have 100-150 million forints available for organizing events and protests.

If it is proven, beyond doubt, that another foreign state financed a politically motivated protest in Hungary, there is nothing left to discuss—it is a checkmate situation. The media operates somewhat differently, although the underlying mechanism remains clear: dollars and euros are used to buy journalists who then shape public opinion according to the interests of their financiers. However, unlike politically driven demonstrations disguised as grassroots activism, the press aims to influence opinions—something that cannot be directly sanctioned by law. Our task here is to make the public aware that these media outlets are not independent, but explicitly politically motivated, aligning completely with the narrative of the European liberal mainstream.

We must dispel the left-wing fairy tale about independence in order to establish transparency.

– Can you provide concrete examples of possible sanctions?
– The legislative work is currently underway, so we'll soon present specific measures.

– A few weeks ago, at a meeting of the National Security Committee, significant issues were discussed, including the fake news story about the deposed Syrian president’s plane landing in Budapest. Has the intelligence investigation concluded? Can you share any findings?
– The investigation has been completed, but details of the case remain classified, so I am unable to disclose further information. However, I can confirm that this was a deliberate act of misinformation, disseminated by the media outlet Magyar Hang and Peter 'Brussels.'

– The committee also addressed the smear campaign initiated by the Ukrainian state against Hungary's prime minister. Any updates on this?
– Regardless of how the liberal media tries to downplay it, this is a confirmed fact uncovered by Hungarian intelligence services. The core of the story is that the Ukrainian government made a decision to allocate money, time, and energy to discredit the Hungarian prime minister both internationally and domestically. They found journalists willing to participate in this effort, both abroad and in Hungary.

Photo: Istvan Mirko 

– Speaking of Ukraine, why are EU leaders so adamantly supporting our war-torn eastern neighbor’s accession to the EU and NATO, despite all rational economic and political arguments against it?
– Party, the EU's leaders have chosen bad policies, and party they've been bought off. The origins of this influence should probably be traced not to Brussels, but to America—to the previous leftist administration, to George Soros, and to the business interests of the Biden family. Key European politicians are in their pockets.

– But now the tide has turned in the United States. Donald Trump takes a different stance on Ukraine and how the war should end. Should we expect Brussels to adjust to the new U.S. administration?
– That is not what Friday’s unusually heated exchange between Trump and Zelensky suggests. After the incident, EU Commissioner Kaja Kallas immediately offered increased financial support to the Ukrainian president, so he could keep the fight going. A significant portion of European leaders are pro-war and radically liberal. For them, cooperating with a conservative U.S. president is akin to making a deal with the devil. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is not easing up. Europe is in a tough spot, making one mistake after another.

Instead of demanding war, they should be pushing for peace. Instead of conflict, they should be fostering relations with the U.S. Instead of pouring money into weapons, they should be strengthening their competitiveness. But they refuse to do so. The Hungarian government is taking a different path, which is why Brussels is punishing us.

Still, we are entering a period of change. It is possible that Hungary could serve as a bridge between the United States and the European Union. This would place Hungary in a uniquely advantageous position.

– If this policy succeeds, it could provide strong momentum for the government to implement the new measures Viktor Orban outlined in his annual address. The tax exemption for mothers with two or three children, as well as the VAT refund on fruits, vegetables, and dairy products for pensioners, are unprecedented steps, but they will place a significant burden on the budget. Can they be realized given that peace remains uncertain and President Trump is poised to impose tariffs on EU products, which would inevitably impact the Hungarian economy?

– The Hungarian budget will cover all the measures that were announced by the prime minister.

– Many economic analysts dispute that claim.

– These so-called analysts have been predicting economic collapse since 2010. They tremble with anticipation, waiting for disaster, but it never comes. They lecture us on what they think is wrong and why everything was supposedly better under the leftist governments. But time and again, reality proves them wrong. They talk about missed deficit targets, impending bankruptcy, and economic doom, yet none of it ever materializes. We know them well—take, for example, the foreign-funded GKI analysts, Maria Petschnig, or former central bank governor Andras Simor, whose son, Daniel Simor, just happens to be an ‘independent and objective’ journalist at Telex, a paper that parrots these same claims. It’s a network, plain and simple.

– While some analysts may have a poor track record, there are legitimate concerns—such as the state of the German automotive industry, which could suffer further if President Trump follows through on his tariff threats, potentially damaging the Hungarian economy.
– We have long maintained that a Trump administration does not guarantee Europe’s success, but it does ensure that normality returns to the United States. Europe must strengthen itself from within—no one else will do it for us. The American president will always prioritize the U.S. The problem is that Europe’s leaders have lost control. Viktor Orban has been warning for years that we are falling behind, that we have been sidelined. That must change. The continent needs strong leadership once again.

– Returning to the prime minister’s annual state-og-the-nation speech, he emphasized a zero-tolerance policy and an intensified crackdown on drug dealers. But wasn’t this already the policy? What's changed?
– We've always had zero tolerance in place, without any heightened menhunts, just average law enforcement intensity. But the interior ministry will step up law enforcement efforts. 

– Why no manhunts so far? Was the situation not deemed serious enough?
– On the contrary, I have long believed that the drug problem is tragic. As mayor of Budapest’s 8th District, I saw firsthand how drugs destroy young lives on a massive scale. We fought it with every tool at our disposal. Since then, the issue has spread beyond the capital to the countryside. The situation has worsened significantly in recent years, and it was time for the state to act. I welcome this decision.

– We cannot leave the shifting domestic political landscape without a mention, which is this: a disgruntled former Fidesz insider has emerged, garnering the overwhelming majority of leftist voters in three months, then secured 30 percent in the European parliamentary elections, and its support appears to be growing. Despite Peter Magyar’s involvement in one scandal after another, his party remains strong. How does Fidesz plan to respond?
– I see things entirely differently. I think his scandals do damage him. The perception may be skewed because the liberal media downplays these issues, but over time, people will realize that Peter 'Brussels' is not who he claims to be. The left is engaged in a massive deception orchestrated by Manfred Weber, and their handpicked figurehead is following every order, dutuilly. 

Fidesz must focus on this latter threat, because the Tisza Party would surrender Hungary’s independence. As their leader openly admitted, we should give up ‘a little sovereignty.’ 

They would implement Brussels’ austerity measures, which we have resisted for years. They would align with the pro-war bloc, support Brussels’ migration policies, embrace radical gender ideology, and eliminate utility price cuts. These are not my words; their politicians have made these statements themselves and voted accordingly in the European Parliament.

– Peter Magyar is the exact prototype of the type of person who makes many dislike Fidesz. Yet now, the opposition is celebrating him. What could be the reason for this contradiction?

– As a matter of fact, one of the most irritating Fidesz figures for us has turned into the most likable left-winger. Left-wing voters already have a tough time as it is—they have to idolize a newly designated figure every four years and learn the name of yet another new party. And in return, they just get the same failed policies as before, just repackaged. And still funded by foreign money, serving foreign interests. There’s no contradiction here—there’s a part of the country that will follow anyone as long as they’re not pro-government and as long as their propaganda media glorifies them. We’ve seen this before, and we know how it ends.