The right-wing European leader drew guaranteed applause – including telling the crowd in Texas that “Hungary is the lone star country in Europe” – and criticizing liberals, the news media and the Democratic Party.
Trump, who is considering when to announce his expected third bid for the Republican presidential nomination, will deliver the final speech at the multi-day CPAC Texas, an offshoot of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. The conference began on Thursday and is organized by the American Conservative Union. Among others scheduled to appear in Dallas are Republican elected officials and GOP candidates in the upcoming midterm elections. CPAC and its organizers remain friendly to Trump, and conservative activists in attendance overwhelmingly support his political future. He easily won unofficial votes held at events like this since he left office, including at CPAC 2022 in February and 2021 CPAC Texas last summer. Still, Trump’s speech comes as his standing in the broader GOP is strong but slightly diminished. Months of mixed results for his preferred candidates in the Republican primaries have shown small cracks in his otherwise massive loyalty among GOP voters. And hearings this summer by a House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol highlighted public arguments against Trump’s actions before and during the riot. Since then, Trump has seen others emerge as potential rivals for the Republican nomination in 2024 — including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence. Neither DeSantis nor Pence will speak this week, but other potential GOP presidential candidates are scheduled to appear, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who is running for a third term in November, and Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott from Florida. Several Republican candidates will also appear on the ballot in November, including Senate candidate JD Vance of Ohio, gubernatorial candidates Kari Lake of Arizona and Tudor Dixon of Michigan, and House candidate Sarah Palin of Alaska — all of whom have been endorsed by Trump.
Orbán’s appeal to conservatives
Among the more controversial figures invited to speak at CPAC Texas is Orbán, who has been embraced by elements of the American conservative movement in recent years.
The nationalist European leader pushed through restrictive immigration policies and pressured Hungary’s democratic institutions while consolidating his own power.
In an address Thursday afternoon in Dallas, Orbán argued that his nationalist agenda in Hungary is in line with the goals of the American conservative movement — sounding a lot like Trump.
“The progressive liberals didn’t want me to be here because they knew what I was going to tell you, because I’m here to tell you that we have to join our forces,” Orbán said.
Orbán was also convicted of remarks deemed racist, anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic. In Romania last month, Orbán delivered a speech that a longtime aide denounced as “pure Nazi text” in his subsequent resignation letter.
While he largely stayed away from that kind of inflammatory rhetoric in Dallas, he scoffed at criticism that he was racist and anti-Semitic. “A Christian politician cannot be a racist,” Orbán said.
Orbán has defended his 16-year tenure as prime minister, touting his tough immigration policies and calling his fight against democratic institutions part of a “culture war,” pursuing same-sex marriage and transgender rights.
To the loudest ovation of his speech, Orbán said: “To sum it up: a mother is a woman, a father is a man and leave our children alone. Period, end of discussion.”
Orbán’s nationalist rhetoric has won him some admirers among conservatives in the United States, including Trump, who recently met with Orbán at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club. Trump endorsed Orbán’s bid for another term earlier this year and has repeatedly praised the Hungarian leader — including during a visit to the White House in 2019. Another Orbán fan is Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who traveled to the central European country last year year and broadcasts from Budapest. And earlier this year, Orbán praised Carlsson during a speech at CPAC Hungary, an event in Budapest co-sponsored by the ACU.
This headline and story have been updated with additional details.
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