“We Were Trump Before Trump”: What the Democratic Party Must Learn from Hungary

“In international politics, we Hungarians are the only ones who have consistently said the same things as Trump since 2010. That’s why, in America, they see us as having been ‘Trump before Trump,’” said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in a December 2024 interview. There are many reasons to criticize Orbán, but he was not wrong in this statement. While Hungarian and American politics are not identical – given their vastly different historical, cultural, religious, and economic contexts – the form of global populism that Orbán himself calls “illiberalism” was pioneered by him in the Western world. And it began in 2010.

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Libertarianism Must End Its Affair With Populism

Flirting with populism has sadly become a trend in libertarian circles. As the 2024 US presidential election was reaching its climax, an avalanche of podcasters and media personalities who previously claimed adherence to libertarianism endorsed Trump. The most famous among them may be comedian Dave Smith, who used to call Trump a war criminal deserving of a lifetime in prison. 

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US Elections: Wake-Up Call for Political Strategy

The 2024 US elections have exposed enduring weaknesses and critical oversights in the approaches taken by the left worldwide, traditional media, and political strategists. In an era where populism continues to rise, trust in institutions declines, and social media shapes public discourse, the election results underscore the urgent need for strategic recalibration. Not for democrats, but for the American democracy.

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The Election of the Year

This week, I had the opportunity to get a closer look at the excitement surrounding the American presidential election. As much as possible, I have been following events from this side of the Atlantic from a respectful distance. So far, I’ve mostly considered the prospects for cooperation with potential winners from the EU’s perspective, especially regarding the candidates’ stances on the war in Ukraine and any anticipated changes in their positions.

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