President Donald Trump has tapped Benjamin Landa, a businessman active in Jewish communal life, as the next US Ambassador to Hungary. Landa’s nomination follows months of speculation and comes after Pressman’s departure, with diplomat Robert Palladino currently serving as interim head of mission.
What tools of pressure does Trump have to deploy against Russia if diplomacy fails? Is the United States’ support for Israel infinite? Could Hungary switch from Russian energy to American? What is the future of Europe? We asked former United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie about Trump’s three unresolved geopolitical games.
‘As someone with libertarian leanings and a true appreciation of free speech, am I wary of government overreach in the regulation of network television? Yes, of course I am. But do I believe that penalizing companies that use public airwaves to broadcast high-production shows which exclusively mock the opposition to the party they donate to constitutes such overreach? Absolutely not.’
‘Kirk made his name in the very arena where conservative ideas are often least welcome: academia. To many progressive students, his campus events provided their first real exposure to conservative arguments; to right-leaning students, he offered both encouragement and a sense of belonging. Yet Kirk’s reach extended far beyond the lecture hall.’
After months of search, it seems that the Democratic Party has found its leader to help them through the second Trump administration. California Governor Gavin Newsom is clearly gearing up to get himself his party’s nomination for President in 2028—should Republicans be worried or relieved?
This year’s US human rights report on Hungary marks a dramatic break from the Biden years, omitting past allegations on media freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, and corruption. Instead, it commends government action in several areas—a change Budapest calls a return to ‘respect’.
‘Bismarck’s campaign for a “good treaty” with Russia reflected the notion that antagonizing the Russians could be as disastrous as waking a bear from hibernation—an apt metaphor for what the U.S.–NATO expansionist approach eventually did…Bismarck emphasized the urgency of not only respecting Russia’s interests but also recognizing it as a crucial player on the global political stage…’
During the opening panel of MCC Feszt 2025 on Thursday, Balázs Orbán declared that the European Commission had betrayed European citizens by accepting the humiliating terms of the US–EU trade deal and that Ursula von der Leyen should resign. Joined by Patrick Deneen and James Orr, the panellists explored the prospects of a world beyond liberalism.
‘Bilateral relations between the United States and Hungary have swiftly moved forward and considerably improved since Trump returned to office on 20 January 2025…This is consistent with Trump’s emerging second-term foreign policy, which prioritizes realist engagement with other countries based on shared interests.’
‘For the Hungarian minority in Romania, Dan’s victory represents a clear political win—particularly given the decisive role the community played in securing it…His proposal to include the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) in the governing coalition has further reinforced a sense of security among Hungarian voters.’