The new show called ÖT, launched recently on YouTube, intended to invite PM Orban's policy chief, Balazs Orban. However, one of the team’s enthusiastic staffers also sent an invitation to PM Orban, host Andras Hont mentioned, starting his conversation with Hungary's premier with this anecdote.
In response, Mr. Orban pointed out that he's happy to go anywhere he sees a chance for a meaningful conversation.
The first topic was the listing — and subsequent delisting — of Minister Antal Rogan from the U.S. sanctions list. Mr. Hont suggested that the targeting of the minister leading the Prime Minister's Cabinet Office was no coincidence. PM Orban acknowledged that Mr. Rogan is undoubtedly a key minister. When the host asked if this would incur financial consequences, he replied, “I won’t be paying.”
– “There are two kinds of ministers in a government,” Mr. Orban explained. “There are technical ministers with specific portfolios—like the agriculture minister or Mr. Navracsics, who is responsible for public administration and regional development—and then there are what I would call power players, or functional ministers who support the exercise of executive power. Currently, two of them hold ministerial rank, and the third is Balazs Orban, who is in a hybrid role that is hard to define from a Hungarian public law perspective. He is the political director of the government. So, there’s Minister Rogan and Minister Gergely Gulyas. Mr. Gulyas oversees coordination within the government, while Mr. Rogan supports me by making sure that everything related to the exercise of power, both inside and outside the government, is at my disposal” - PM Orban said.
He explained that he had recently reassigned several responsibilities from these ministers, noting that it had become a bad habit in government to push unresolved issues up the chain to the functional ministers. So, “although after an election, Mr. Gulyas and Mr. Rogan typically start out as purely political ministers, over time things like digitalization or oversight of the Castle District will also pile onto their desks. Eventually, it became too much, and those tasks had to be stripped away.”
“It was clear that if someone wanted to attack the person closest to me in the government, it would be either Minister Gulyas or Minister Rogan,” PM Orban explained.
He emphasized that he prefers order, so the government is organized accordingly and cabinet restructurings are not driven by power struggles. “I make a four-year agreement with someone—we define the terms: how we work, how we behave, how we cooperate, what’s acceptable and what’s not. Then I invite serious people to serve, and we stick to that, he said.
On the subject of the United States, PM Orban said they weren’t surprised by Donald Trump’s moves — what he described as
lightning and thunder.
Regarding the tariff war, Mr. Orban commented that only the end goal matters, not what happens along the way. “Tariffs may pose disadvantages, but we are negotiating other economic questions and agreements, to offset them,” he said, adding that he expects tangible results within six months.
He also predicted that Republicans—and a Trumpist government—will govern the U.S. for the next twelve years, and believes that Vice President J.D. Vance has a good shot at continuing Trump’s policies. Mr. Orban added that he expects to live to see this, whether from government or elsewhere — this is a decision that will ultimately rest with Hungarian voters.
War: The U.S. Is Pulling Out, the West Has Lost
On the Russia–Ukraine war, PM Orban said the West has already lost, and that losing a war carries serious consequences. He said the new American president is now withdrawing from the conflict, claiming he never wanted this war in the first place—that it was a Democratic decision.
“In Western Europe, the situation is tougher—there is no change of leadership there. Continuity is the norm. And European leaders don’t dare admit that they’ve lost this war. They dragged Europe into a conflict that they ultimately lost,” Mr. Orban said.
He noted that he was the first to suggest the need for a joint European military force. Now it appears that will happen. Hungary’s military modernization is already underway, and other EU countries are expected to follow suit.
Regarding Ukraine’s potential EU accession, Orban said the Hungarian people will be consulted. The government believes it would be a grave mistake, but everyone can share their opinion in a consultative vote.
He pointed out that the Tisza Party — “a party that must be taken seriously” — has already made its position clear: they support Ukraine’s accession, making the stakes high. PM Orban pointed out that although a referendum cannot be held on an international treaty, and it should remain that way, the government’s consultative vote provides everyone the opportunity to voice their views.
Mr. Hont brought up that in 2006, Orban and his allies had demanded the suspension of EU funds. PM Orban explained that back then, Brussels had been covering for the Socialist government after it was revealed that they had falsified budgetary figures and then went on to win the elections. Orban’s camp, in opposition back then, had called on the EU not to lend a helping hand to a lying government.
The host also asked whether Mr. Orban knows how the infamous "Oszod speech" was leaked. The prime minister said he does not. Such information wouldn’t have been available to the opposition at the time, he said, adding that once in power, he no longer looked into it.
Is There an “Orban System”?
- “I don’t think it’s disputable that since 2010, Hungary has had a new system. What to call it is a different question,” Mr. Orban said, when asked whether an ‘Orban system’ exists. He continued:
I think it’s an exaggeration to tie it to a single name—even though it is rather flattering, but I don’t think it’s accurate. because what came before 2010 wasn’t tied to one person either. I divide modern history—what I’ve lived through and helped shape—into two phases: from 1990 to 2010 we had a post-communist system in Hungary. And since 2010, we’ve been having a national system, which is fundamentally different from the pre-2010 era in its structural traits and depth.
– “There is a system,” PM Orban declared, adding that he doesn’t even consider the term “regime” pejorative, since it accurately describes the situation. According to Orban, not as much depends on him as it might seem from the outside. In Hungary, the prime minister leads the government, which gives him a prominent role in public law. But he believes that if something were to happen to him, the governmental system would function more or less the same as it does now.
PM Orban said he is unassailable, which is why critics always attack those close to him instead.
Regarding the National Bank, he said the government cannot control it—that authority lies with the State Audit Office.
Mr. Hont pushed further, asking why the government is only now tackling long-standing issues, such as drug abuse, banning dual citizens, or outlawing Pride events. “Because now we have the strength to do so,” Mr. Orban responded.
What Kind of Opponent is the Tisza Party?
PM Orban said he wasn’t surprised to see Peter Magyar enter into politics, although he wouldn’t have expected someone with such a background (wiretapping his wife and ending up in the headlines for it) to succeed in Hungarian politics.
– “Do you see the Tisza Party as a more serious rival than the united opposition in the last cycle?” Mr. Hont asked. In response, PM Orban explained that they are in the same category. He recalled that in the year before the election, Peter Marki-Zay was also polling higher than him, and the united left-wing parties were showing more support than Fidesz — yet Fidesz ended up with a big victory.
– “They had their problems, but they were a serious force,” Orban said of the 2022 alliance. “They were backed from abroad—with enormous funding. Left-wing oligarchs threw their full weight behind them, they had massive media support and were strong on social media,” he listed.
The Tisza Party is not a Hungarian party—it is a Brussels party. It’s kept alive from Brussels; that’s where its handlers are. They do what they’re told from there,” Viktor Orban said of his current challenger.
Mr. Orban described the idea that support for Fidesz tends to rise and fall with real wage growth as an interesting observation, adding that this isn’t the case now, as there are other, more decisive economic issues — particularly inflation — which is a serious challenge and has a profound impact on people’s daily lives and moods.
- “Real wage growth this year is somewhere between six and eight percent. We expect significant wage hikes early next year. The armed forces bonus is currently being distributed, and we’re planning similar measures in other sectors. Before I came here today, we had a budget debate in government. We finalized next year’s budget, and I can see that there will be substantial pay raises in several sectors,” PM Orban explained, with regard to the outlook.
He said he believes the economic conditions are in place to win another election next year. He also emphasized that in every election year, they have reduced the budget deficit.
At the end of the interview, Mr. Hont asked about the presidential clemency scandal. PM Orban spelled out that the President's resignation had shook their political community, adding that they have managed to close this chapter. He said one cannot live in fear of more such cases—work must go on, and the people will judge their performance at the ballot box.
In closing, Andras Hont noted that Peter Magyar still hasn’t accepted his invitation to appear on the show—despite having promised over a year ago to be a guest.
