WILL THE REAL VIKTOR ORBAN PLEASE STAND UP

by

William A. Gralnick

Who is this person that Donald Trump keeps citing as a one-man support group for his presidency? Inquiring minds want to know, so let’s look into it. Victor Orban is the Prime Minister of Hungary. NPR says of him, “Orbán, who has turned into a hero of Trump’s followers and other conservative populists, is known for his restrictions on immigration and LGBTQ+ rights. He’s also cracked down on his country’s press and judiciary while maintaining a close relationship with Russia.” Hmmmm.

And this country? Hungary is a nation with fewer than ten million residents and is slightly smaller than the state of Kentucky. It is the 17th European Union country in size and 110th worldwide. Mighty Mouse would be overstating its power. His military is under 28,000 soldiers and his air force numbers approximately 30 jets. It is a landlocked country and therefore has no navy. Orban is not the leader of a large or influential state, but what he is is a political and social carbon copy of Donald Trump who would have little if no influence outside of Hungary were it not for the former president.

picture credit State shield of Hungary public domain pix

Democracy is a good place to start. When it comes to Orban and the law, one has what is written on the one hand and what is done on the other. Hungary has a fairly new constitution designed to break it away from its past Communist governance. On paper, it looks pretty good democracy-wise…