right-wing conservatives among themselves
Orban rails in Texas: “Less drag queens, more Chuck Norris”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during his speech in Texas
© Chris Rusanowsky
Among right-wing conservatives in the US, Viktor Orban is almost celebrated as a kind of hero. At a conference, the Hungarian prime minister scolded liberal values and migration. The direction is clear: a union against liberalism.
There is one thing Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán can’t do when he opens the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) as a guest speaker, the annual gathering of the staunch right-wing in the USA: he can’t provoke. There is plenty of applause for this from like-minded people who believe in liberal values just as little as Orbán himself. At the CPAC, one likes to hear that such tones are also struck in Europe. Only star speaker Donald Trump, who is scheduled to appear on Saturday evening, can expect even more encouragement at the CPAC. As is well known, the ex-president and Orbán appreciate each other – and support each other.
In Dallas, Texas, where the CPAC is currently meeting, Orbán has now found a voice with a call to fight liberalism. “If anyone has doubts about whether progressive liberals and communists are the same, just ask us Hungarians (…) They are the same. So we have to defeat them again,” Orbán told the gathering of Trump supporters, conspiracy theorists and religious representatives rights to. “We need a total defence,” he added. Orbán’s speech was peppered with war rhetoric – he spoke of a culture war and positioned himself against migration and liberal values.
Viktor Orban railed against US Democrats
Orban has governed Hungary since 2010 and leads a right-wing government. He has eroded democracy and the rule of law there, which is why he is also in conflict with the European Union. At the CPAC, he played the sound of his hosts – presenting himself as an ally and a role model. He received a lot of applause, for example, when he praised the “traditional family”. “We need more Rangers, less drag queens and more Chuck Norris,” he said. Chuck Norris is an American martial artist and actor.
Orban described himself as an “old-fashioned freedom fighter” and claimed his country was under siege by “progressive liberals”. “I am the longest serving Prime Minister in Europe. The only anti-immigrant political leader on our continent, a father of five children and grandfather of five grandchildren,” he said. He also drew from the leather against the US Democrats. “They have done everything to drive a wedge between us. They hate me and slander me and my country just as they hate you and slander the America you stand for,” he said.
Viktor Orban presents himself as a role model in the USA
Orban repeatedly received loud applause from the several hundred spectators in the hall. He presented himself as a leading figure from whom the right in the US could still learn. “You have to be brave. If you’re afraid, you have a job to do,” he said to his hosts. “The only thing we Hungarians can show you is how we can defend ourselves according to our own rules.” Hungary itself hosted a CPAC conference in May.
CPAC organizers describe the gathering “as one of the largest and most influential gatherings of conservatives in the world.” Moderate conservatives are not to be found there, however. Another guest on Thursday was former arch-conservative vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who now wants to move into the US House of Representatives.
Conference offers space for conspiracy theories
Palin is considered a stimulus figure of the political right. She was the butt of ridicule during the 2008 election campaign when, as a vice presidential candidate, she claimed she could see Russia from her home in Alaska. Now she railed against the government of US President Joe Biden and the “fake news media”, which would not report on the important things at all. She always got loud applause for this – even if the rows in the hall had already emptied a bit. Palin was the last speaker on Thursday.
On Friday, for example, Republican MP Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has made a name for herself as a representative of right-wing conspiracy theories, is scheduled to speak. Trump ally Steve Bannon also has an appearance – Bannon was already omnipresent in the event rooms on Thursday. Bannon is one of the co-founders of the right-wing Internet platform Breitbart and is one of the most influential voices in the ultra-conservative camp of US politics.