American political commentator Dave Rubin hosted a thought-provoking conversation with Balázs Orbán, political director to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, at CPAC Hungary 2025 on Thursday. During the discussion, Balázs Orbán argued that Hungary has the potential to become one of the winners of the 21st century. ‘We just need vision, strong leadership, and a community ready to defend what matters,’ he stressed.
Rubin introduced Orbán to the audience with the following words:
‘As this world becomes more globalized, the fight for sovereignty becomes harder. We see that our friends across the world are facing the same struggles, and the threats begin to feel even larger. But what we’re doing here today—what you believe in, what I believe in, what people like Balázs Orbán, Viktor Orbán, and Donald Trump are fighting for—is the right of the individual to live freely in a nation that defends its culture, its freedom, and its values.’
At the outset of their conversation, Rubin remarked that for a long time, values and good ideas emanated from the United States—yet this trend is now in decline, with small countries like Hungary increasingly taking the lead. ‘We don’t believe it’s our job to save the world,’ Orbán warned, adding: ‘Our job is to save our country.’ He acknowledged, however, that the world is undoubtedly changing.
The political director stressed that for decades, American foreign policy aimed at exporting liberal democracy had destabilized entire regions—especially the Middle East—, indirectly affecting Hungary and Europe through mass migration. ‘We must stop those who make destructive decisions without democratic legitimacy—those who want to destroy our way of life,’ Orbán stated.
Responding to Rubin’s question about how Hungary protects its policies against pressure from the mainstream media, Orbán said there had been an unprecedented media campaign against Hungary in the international press. This campaign was long effective, mainly because, he explained, ‘people don’t speak Hungarian, and they believed everything they read about the country’. But Trump’s emergence in 2016 changed something. ‘The liberal media started spreading the same fake narratives about him, about the migration crisis, and about anyone standing in their way. And people began to realize—maybe they’re lying about Hungary, too,’ Orbán noted.
He expressed gratitude for the rise of alternative media outlets, such as Rubin’s, which do not perpetuate biased narratives. ‘They realized that this is not an authoritarian dictatorship—it’s a normal country with a strong conservative government,’ he pointed out.
‘And you feel at home here,’ Rubin replied, adding that this feeling has been lost in many Western cities. Orbán agreed: ‘That’s what democracy should mean—feeling at home in your own country. It’s not about being told what to think; it’s about being represented. Whether the government is doing a good job should be up to you. It should serve you, not rule over you.’ He argued that this mindset must be restored across Europe.
Turning to the 2026 parliamentary elections in Hungary, Orbán acknowledged the challenges of remaining persuasive while in power for such a long time—even while successfully maintaining border security and a strong economy. It becomes even harder, he said, ‘when the European Union’s leadership is supporting our political opponents here in Hungary’. ‘It’s dangerous,’ he warned. ‘We could lose our country. That’s why we need a united front—people who love Hungary, who believe in our national values.’
‘This isn’t just about elections. This is about destroying the progressive mindset’
Balázs Orbán also described the actions of EU leadership as a form of ‘betrayal’, pointing out that they punish countries for defending their borders. ‘This isn’t just about elections. This is about destroying the progressive mindset that dominates transnational European institutions,’ he emphasized, calling on sovereign-minded leaders in Europe to unite.
When asked what Hungary would ‘like to see’ from Donald Trump and the United States with regard to the war in Ukraine, Orbán answered: ‘We don’t have demands—we just pray for him to succeed. If he can help end the war, it will be one of the most important achievements of this century.’
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