Orbán: More than anything, the Americans have strengthened Antal Rogán in his position

"If they hadn't cheated in 2020, Donald Trump would have remained president, and there would have been no Ukrainian-Russian war" – thus Viktor Orbán began his first interview on Kossuth Rádió this year, after returning from his holiday in India. In his opinion, Antal Rogán is doing an excellent job, and the Americans have only strengthened his position by putting him on their sanctions list.

The Hungarian Prime Minister was first asked about Hungarian-American relations. The host wanted to know whether Orbán thought that everything would change after Donald Trump took office. "Starting on Tuesday, a different sun will rise over the Western world," he said. He said that he believes that four years ago, the President was cheated out of governing, followed by a Democratic administration, which is different from the Republican one. "If they hadn't cheated in 2020, Donald Trump would have remained president and there would have been no Ukrainian-Russian war."

He said that the Democrats are globalists, with a big network behind them, one of the main figures of which is George Soros. "They are asserting their interests through these networks." In his opinion, this network wants to "impose" on the world what the Democrats in Washington think is right. "And this is when the world gets thrown into the chaos of migration, when the gender frenzy is unleashed, there is Pride, rainbow flags, transgender people and gender reassignment surgeries," he said.

Speaking about David Pressman, the Biden administration's US ambassador to Hungary, he said that he was a "henchman" whose job was to force Hungary into the liberal democrat "gender camp", which is ready to spread "the word" with war. "But that's not the kind of country Hungary is, we have a mission of our own, which is why we have a country." He said that having a henchman come here and tell us that we should let migrants in and give up our land doesn’t fit into this.

"Having people come here and taking away what you have worked for for 1100 years, that doesn't fit into the Hungarian way of thinking," he said. He added that it was no coincidence that he had never met Pressman, as it was clear from the start why he was sent here. According to him, it was to be expected that Hungarian-American relations would reach the bottom. "They harmed us wherever they could". He said that the "last, small episode" of this was that one of the government's ministers, Antal Rogán, was put on a sanctions list.

“Antal Rogán's position in Hungarian politics and in the Hungarian government has been strengthened as never before. All I can gather from this is that he is doing his job well.”

According to him, Rogán is the "number one guardian of Hungarian sovereignty, so if a major power is punishing him, it means he is doing his job well". Orbán said he had an agreement with Trump to introduce a "fantastic, magnificent, golden age" in Hungarian-American relations. According to him, this will also have an impact on the finances of Hungarians.

2025: a year for ousting the Soros empire from Europe

According to the Prime Minister, the liberals are now "fleeing" from America to Brussels, Soros’ teams have “retreated to Brussels”. The biggest goal for the next period is to drive the Soros empire out of Europe and back to America. "The most important foreign policy goal for 2025 is to oust the Soros empire from Europe. Hungary, which has always openly engaged in this conflict, will be the first to oust the Soros empire. This is the goal I am committed to for the year." The PM also added that he wants to dismantle "foreign networks threatening" Hungarian sovereignty and intends to send them home.

Orbán said that the biggest corruption scandal in Europe today is that "Brussels is in Soros' pocket". In his opinion, Soros has paid off “Brussels’ bureaucrats”. "If there is corruption, then this is it," he said. He said that the "Brussels funds" must be retrieved from the Soros network. "That is our money, they should not be given a single forint. We will get a start on this here in Hungary, this is what spring will be all about," he said.

Achievements of the Hungarian EU presidency, and the path ahead

The Prime Minister stressed that the biggest goal during Hungary's six-month EU presidency was to make peace "the topic of discussion". He said that they had made much progress in this respect, and that from now on, countries bigger than Hungary could take on the task of representing this cause. He considers the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area another important achievement. "Hungary has performed above its size and weight, and the most important thing now is for Brussels to adapt to the new situation," he said.

He believes it is time to "throw the sanctions out of the window" and establish a sanctions-free relationship with Russia.

This will take time though, but "the times of sobering up" will come to Brussels too, he said.

The PM said that Hungary's goals in economic policy require peace, and from now on we must also deal with Ukraine, which we are currently only looking at through the "glasses of war". According to Orbán, Ukraine is a serious economic threat to Europe. This is why he would introduce serious protection measures to ensure that the Hungarian and Polish agricultural industries, for instance, would not be harmed.

The “cautious optimist”

Orbán reiterated that this will be a fantastic year for Hungary, but in spite of this conviction, he considers himself “a cautious optimist”. The most important goal, he said, was for everyone to have a job, and for those who work to be able to support their families on their income. He added this would become easier, because wages are going to grow. "2025 will be a year of strengthening the middle class. I am talking about people who own their homes, have an income, have a car, and are able to support themselves," he said. He said that they want to help those who are below this level to catch up.

He said the starting points are good because employment rates for people aged 20 to 65 are above 80 percent. In his opinion, Hungarian families have a "reserve" that can be "mobilised" this year. "That's why I am saying that 2025 could be a fantastic year for the economy, by which I mean the families. This year can be a step forward in the life of every Hungarian family. I'm expecting to see tangible progress in all segments of society," he said in conclusion.

Fit as a fiddle

It came to light by chance on 4 January from a local newspaper that Viktor Orbán had travelled to India with his family. When asked about Prime Minister's trip, his press spokesman said only that "Just as before, we will not provide information about Viktor Orbán's private and family activities". Indian newspapers also reported that the Prime Minister was in the country until 16 January. Local newspapers also reported that Orban had stayed in a five-star hotel, travelled on a tuk tuk, went on a boat trip, visited the jungle and visited the temple of the snake god.

"I'm fit as a fiddle. Don't get your hopes up!" – Orbán said in a statement to the tabloid, Blikk, during his holiday, responding to rumours that he had gone there for health reasons. He said nothing unusual had happened, besides the prime minister taking time off. He said he was paying for the trip himself and that in his opinion India was not known as a holiday destination anyways.