American conservative author Rod Dreher became involved in a heated exchange on X, accusing a journalist from the Italian left-leaning outlet Domani of ‘spinning’ his remarks in a recently published interview to make Hungary under Viktor Orbán look bad ahead of the upcoming 12 April election.
The premise of the article, written by Francesca de Benedetti, is that Dreher—who moved to Budapest years ago due to his admiration for Orbán’s model of governance based on Christian values and resistance to woke ideology and mass migration—admitted that ‘something didn’t work’ in Hungary and that he ‘plans to leave’ the country after the election, painting a picture as if he were doing so out of dissatisfaction.
De Benedetti shared the interview on her X page, stating in the caption that Dreher ‘acknowledges the shortcomings of the “Hungarian model”’, citing corruption, economic stagnation, and failing birth rates.
Responding to the post, Dreher said ‘this is bullsh*t spin’, pointing out that he had told the reporter he might leave regardless of the election result, in order to move to Vienna to be closer to his son—not because of dissatisfaction with Viktor Orbán. He also stated that while he praised the Hungarian model, he acknowledged that it has ‘fallen short in several ways’.
This is bullshit spin. I told the reporter that I might leave no matter what election results, to move to Vienna to be closer to my son, who lives there. And I praised the HU model, but said it has fallen short in several ways, which is obvious. I did interview in writing; will… https://t.co/U8UscsP3pN
— Rod Dreher (@roddreher) April 10, 2026
Shortly afterwards, Dreher published the full transcript of the interview on X, arguing that foreign journalists often misrepresent his views on Hungary as they ‘usually come with a pre-written story’. He accused the Italian journalist of portraying him as ‘a rat leaving a sinking ship’, insisting that this was not the case.
From the published transcript, it becomes clear that Dreher maintains a broadly favourable view of Orbán, with his remarks overall quite complementary. At the same time, he acknowledges economic difficulties and corruption allegations, stating that ‘it would be dishonest to deny’ these concerns. According to his contacts, if Orbán were to lose, it would likely be due to ‘the economy not doing well’ and perceptions that he ‘has been too tolerant of corruption’.
He is also sceptical of Péter Magyar, suggesting that voters may see him as ‘Orbán without the corruption’, but adding: ‘I doubt this will be the case.’ Dreher further suggests that Magyar could become ‘a cat’s paw of Brussels’, arguing that systemic issues such as corruption are unlikely to disappear.
‘Dreher argues that Hungary “continues to be a model for how to handle mass migration”’
At the same time, Dreher argues that Hungary ‘continues to be a model for how to handle mass migration’ and has set an example in defending sovereignty, even as he concedes that ‘Hungary has never recovered economically from Covid’ and that its family policies ‘have unfortunately not had a lot of success raising the birth rate’.
On his personal plans, he reiterates that he may relocate ‘no matter who wins,’ primarily for the family reasons mentioned above.
More broadly, Dreher reflects positively on his life in Hungary and Europe, describing Budapest as ‘a great place’ and emphasizing shared civilizational ties between Hungary and the United States.
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