Why do American conservatives praise Viktor Orbán so much?
Why are the current Hungarian government and its policies so admired by the American Conservatives? Do they really see their future in Prime Minister Viktor Orbán?
It seems like Hungary is not a small and somewhat insignificant Eastern European country anymore. At least based on the past weeks’ international headlines and newspaper covers. Hungary and – more precisely – the Orbán government have been in the spotlight for various reasons. Be it the “paedophile law” altered into a “homophobic law” or the Pope’s visit to the Hungarian capital that he almost cancelled, the politics of the country have lately received quite the reaction from the international media.
Hungary to become the exemplar of the American right-wing “Trumpism”?
More and more of the leading newspapers, like The Telegraph or the Washington Post, dedicate long articles to what is happening in Hungary. The latest to do so is the weekly news magazine, The Week. They are trying to figure out the reason behind the newly emerged fascination of the American conservative community with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s one-week-long visit to Hungary made journalist Damon Linker think about what might be behind this admiration.
While most of the Western World and its liberals hope for the defeat of Orbán and his party, Fidesz, in the elections next year, a big chunk of the world has a different opinion.
The conservatives of the United States see a strong and determined man with the aim to protect his country and its people – someone who fights culture wars and fights for his ideas, whatever they might be.
It is just an additional aspect that these ideas happen to be very similar or equal to that of Republicans.
The moral changes of the past 500 years on the American continent, including women’s rights, the rights of people of colour, and the rights of immigrants, are an enormous achievement that leftists and liberals tend to want to continue. That is where the two political parties of the USA start to take different paths. The Republicans/Conservatives try to keep everything as it is, maybe even turn back to the past a bit.
Their ideas about immigration, sexuality, and gender coincide with the views of the Orbán government.
And the fact that the Hungarian Prime Minister actually carries out what Donald Trump only talked about but did not manage to achieve makes Orbán a star in their eyes.
Moreover, the current Hungarian government was formed after a fairly won election by wide pluralities over ten years ago. The fact that Fidesz was also able to maintain its rule over these years gives hope to Republicans that there is a possibility to have a similar leader for themselves – a leader like the current Hungarian Prime Minister.