The leading political pundit in the US, Tucker Carlson, visited our country again on 22 August 2023. The internationally influential commentator gave a speech at the widely successful MCC Feszt After event at Millenáris Park in Budapest. His speech—in accordance with the traditions of MCC Feszt in Esztergom—was preceded by panel discussions tackling the important issues of our day.
After two years, the Hungarian Prime Minister once again sat down for an interview with former TV host Tucker Carlson.
Days after he was let go, the 53-year-old cable news star, one of the few in the Western media to cover Hungarian issues in a fair way, finally broke his silence and posted a video to his Twitter feed. He did not directly address his firing, but he did have some solemn things to say about the current state of American media and politics.
‘While Budapesters aren’t wealthy, their lives are safe, purposeful, and filled with objective beauty. They perceive that they are temporary stewards of a valuable human condition and assume their descendants ought to inherit it; society is to be preserved, rather than consumed. Mothers with infants and other young children are an unmistakable element of the Hungarian capital. I always felt comfortable when my wife walked alone at night. Violent crime and discarded needles are nonexistent. This is life in the former Eastern Bloc.’
‘I think being in the conservative world, you’re used to the media fabricating things. So, it’s nice to see with my own eyes, and to hear from the people that live here. Obviously,Hungary is viewed favourably by the right wing. I know Donald Trump and Viktor Orbán have met several times, Tucker Carlson has been here. So, in the circles I run in, people have great things to say about Hungary.’
The second annual CPAC Hungary is taking place on 4–5 May at the Bálna shopping and cultural centre in Budapest. The featured speakers include Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Minister of Justice Judit Varga, former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, cable news anchor Tucker Carlson, former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, and former Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša.
During a visit to the United States Balázs Orbán appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show, spoke at a Heritage Foundation conference and gave an interview to the Washington Times.
Rumours have also been floated that this may be a ploy by the Democratic establishment to prevent the incumbent President from running again. As Tucker Carlson said on 12 January, ‘this is pretty clearly the beginning of the end for Joe Biden.’
‘It is hard to imagine a better example of “Stockholm syndrome” than this sorry episode, when local Catholics and even the Vatican seemed more intent on supporting la Résistance than protesting the occupation of the birthplace of Jesus Christ by Muslim militants. Perhaps some occupations are more just than others.’
‘The Danubian Compact could serve as a modern, flexible framework for cooperation, focusing on shared economic interests, energy security, infrastructure development, and more. What if the real future of Central Europe does not lie in resurrecting the past, but in reimagining it for a new era? The pieces are there, the question is whether the leaders of these nations are willing to make that leap.’
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
