Latest news with #ViktorOrbán
CBS News
a day ago
- Business
- CBS News
CPAC comes to Europe as alliance between the Trump White House and the international right grows
MAGA influencers and far-right leaders gathered in Poland and Hungary this week as the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, held two international events — a show of strength in the increasing trans-Atlantic alliance between the Trump White House and Europe's populist conservative movement. On Thursday in Budapest, Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orbán was the keynote speaker for the country's CPAC event and hailed President Trump's first 100 days following his return to the Oval Office. "The Trump tsunami swept through the entire world," Orbán said. "It gave back hope to the world. We are no longer suffocating in the woke sea." Prior to the Hungarian leader's speech, a video message from President Trump was played to those in attendance in which Mr. Trump praised the event and Orbán himself. "You know how I feel about Hungary and you know how I feel about CPAC. I respect and love them both. I also want to pay special regard to the leader of Hungary, Viktor Orbán. He's a great man and a very special person," President Trump said in the video, which was later posted to social media by CPAC founder and chairman Matt Schlapp. Orbán, who according to Human Rights Watch has used his party's supermajority in Hungarian parliament to undermine the independence of the judiciary, crack down on independent media, demonize migrants and discriminate against LGBTQ people, was among a number of notable right-wing international leaders in attendance. Those leaders at the Budapest event included the leader of Germany's far-right AFD party Alice Weidel, the leader of the Dutch far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) Geert Wilders, and former U.K. Conservative Party prime minister Liz Truss, as well as American social media influencers Ben Shapiro and Jack Posobiec. Poland's conservative presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki arrives at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, on May 27, 2025, in Rzeszow, Poland. Alex Brandon / Getty Images Notable speakers at Tuesday's events in Jasionka, Poland, included U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who gave the keynote address at the event. "I do think it's good that we are collaborating with each other," Schlapp, a former White House political director, told CBS News on Friday. "I think what we're doing is what, in the old-fashioned days, you would have called it friendship building and diplomacy, and building relationships in order to have the prosperity in our countries." Poland was playing host to CPAC for the first time earlier this week. Budapest was a venue for the event for the fourth year in row— underlining the growing relationship between MAGA Republicans and the country under Orban's ruling Fidesz Party. Many American conservatives have in recent years viewed Hungary — and Orbán — as an aspirational playbook for governance in the United States. "I think their policies on the border and on immigration have changed the whole conversation in Europe," Schlapp said. "It's certainly between Orbán and Trump, that have normalized this idea that you don't just have to take an unspecific numbers of illegal migrants because some global institution tells you that you must." A growing alliance on the right The conference is happening amidst a backdrop of tension between President Trump and America's traditional allies in Europe. While Mr. Trump recently announced that his planned 50% tariffs on European Union goods would be delayed until July, the trading block and its European allies have had an unsteady relationship with the White House since Mr. Trump's return to power in January. Members of Trump's administration have at times broken the diplomatic norm by publicly weighing in on elections and policies in U.S.-allied nations. Vice President JD Vance berated European leaders at February's Munich Security Conference and accused U.S. allies of political censorship of right-wing ideas within their own countries. The vice president cited laws in the U.K. which criminalize protests within a certain distance of abortion clinics and EU laws on online content moderations, among other examples. That trend continued at Poland's CPAC event on Tuesday, where DHS Secretary Noem called for Poles to vote for right-wing presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki in the country's upcoming runoff election against liberal opponent Rafał Trzaskowski, the current mayor of Warsaw. "I have watched over the years as socialists, and people who are just like this mayor of Warsaw, who is an absolute trainwreck of a leader, have destroyed our countries," Noem said, addressing attendees at the Jasionka event. Kirsti Noem, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, during the CPAC Conservative Political Action Conference in Jasionka, Poland, on May 27, 2025. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images The events this week also come just days after Samuel Samson, a senior adviser for the State Department's Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, wrote a blog post on the State Department's website which signaled a shift in the issues the U.S. is prioritizing in its traditional alliances in Europe. "The suppression of speech, facilitation of mass migration, targeting of religious expression, and undermining of electoral choice threatens the very foundation of the transatlantic partnership," the post read. The depth of the relationship between the populist right in Europe and President Trump was highlighted in the promotional description on CPAC Budapest's website. "With the triumph of Donald Trump and the rise of the European Right, the Age of the Patriots of Western Civilization has begun — CPAC Hungary 2025 will be the hub of this movement," the description of the event read. Chairman Matt Schlapp told CBS News that he believes the conference will only continue to expand globally. "We're going to go to Australia later on in the year. We're going go to Japan later on in the year, we're gonna go to Brazil later on this year. We're gonna to go Mexico. We're talking about having a CPAC in Colombia. We've had talks to have a CPAC in El Salvador. We've have talks to have CPAC in various other European countries," he said.
Euronews
a day ago
- Politics
- Euronews
EU Commissioner Roswall expresses solidarity with LGBTQ+ community
EU Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resilience, Jessika Roswall, says "anyone who wants to join in solidarity with the LGBTQ community in Hungary should do so." She was responding to the Hungarian government's decision to ban Gay Pride parades, a decision that has been heavily condemned by a majority of EU member states including France, Germany and Spain. "The European Union is built on values, which, of course, we all stand behind, and this is the pressure we are in this union of – one of the key things is built of this precious value of people's freedom and loving whoever they want to, or rule of law and all these things. So I stand, of course, behind that and I myself have been to many prides, only in Stockholm though," she told Euronews. Meanwhile, a Commission source told Euronews that it's unlikely EU Commissioners will stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community as it could be seen to "provoke" Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and open the door to him accusing the EU of interfering in Hungarian affairs. "I think it would play into Orbán's hands were senior people from Brussels to turn up," the source said. However, law experts and some member states argue the European Commission is obliged to protect the rights and freedoms of EU citizens under Article 2 of the EU Treaty. A collaboration of 17 member states led by the Netherlands signed a declaration condemning the Hungarian decision. We are "concerned by the implications of these measures on freedom of expression, the right to peaceful assembly, and the right to privacy," part of their statement read. The EU Commissioner of Justice and Rule of Law, Michael Mcgrath, has called freedom of assembly a fundamental right that must be protected. He insisted that Pride parades do not constitute a threat to children, as the Hungarian parliament argued. Meanwhile, Roswall says she does not want to make decisions for others but says that the issue is at the centre of her beliefs and the European Union. "I don't tell people what to do, but that's what I truly believe in, and that is also the core of the European Union." The Budapest Pride parade is set to take place on 28 June in defiance of the new law, and while several MEPs have indicated their intention to attend, no Commissioners have.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pro-Putin Viktor Orban & Robert Fico lash out at EU; ‘Change is needed, this cannot go on…'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico delivered fiery speeches at the 2025 CPAC Hungary conference in Budapest, launching scathing critiques of the European Union's leadership. Orbán accused Brussels of 'hijacking and derailing' Europe's future and echoing his sentiments was Fico, who accused the EU of suppressing dissent. Fico's comments followed his visit to Russia for the 2025 Victory Day Parade. Watch their remarks here.
Budapest Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Budapest Times
PM holds talks with Georgian counterpart in Budapest
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held talks with Irakli Kobakhidze, his Georgian counterpart, in his office in Budapest on Wednesday. According to MTI , the pair reviewed the current situation of Hungarian-Georgian economic and trade relations and explored possibilities to develop them. The two leaders made preparations for a Hungarian-Georgian governmental summit scheduled to be held in Budapest in June. Kobakhidze will deliver an address at the CPAC Hungary conference taking place in Budapest on May 29-30.
Budapest Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Budapest Times
Orbán urges public to beware of scams linked to Ukraine
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has urged the public to beware of 'a noticeable rise' in banking scams and hacking, including cyber fraud linked to Ukraine. In a video posted on Facebook on Tuesday, PM Orbán said his cabinet was busy preparing for tomorrow's meeting which will cover economic issues such as the mandatory cap on markups, the Demjan Sandor scheme for scaling up local SMEs as well as 'a very harmful phenomenon'. PM Orbán warned of a recent 'noticeable rise' in banking scams and hacking cases, 'particularly Ukrainian-linked cyber fraud'. 'One wrong click and there go the family's savings,' the prime minister said, noting that scammers defraud Hungarian families of 8 billion forints (EUR 19.8m) each year. He said the authorities had recently shut down a 19-member network linked to Ukrainian organised crime, adding he believed that investigators will have to step up such operations. The cabinet on Wednesday will decide on new ways to combat banking scams linked to Ukrainian crime rings, PM Orbán said.
