"He is indeed the seventh, which is a dangerous number", Viktor Orbán said in an interview on public television on Sunday evening, referring to the inauguration of Hungary's new president, Tamás Sulyok.
At the beginning of the interview, Tünde Volf-Nagy, the interviewer – who by the way used to be head of communications for Katalin Novák's first presidential team – indicated that the interview was conducted prior to the inauguration of Tamás Sulyok, and then went on to ask Orbán how Sulyok was chosen.
In relation to Tamás Sulyok being Hungary's seventh president, the Prime Minister noted that he had worked with all seven Hungarian heads of state as PM and therefore had insight into "what kind of president was suitable for each situation".
What we had this time was a tumultuous situation, because the previous President, Katalin Novák, left due to the clemency case, which also upset people emotionally.
– Orbán said, uttering Novák's name for the first time since the clemency scandal broke out. At the time of her departure, he only said: “I respectfully thank the outgoing Madame President for her work.”
According to Orbán, at this time, Hungary's interests can best be served by a president who is stable, calm, predictable, well-known, and is able to pass on his calmness to all of us, while at the same time posessing undisputed preparedness, expertise and authority. The former president of the Constitutional Court is such a man," Orbán said, adding that it was also an advantage that the country was already familiar with Tamás Sulyok.
Orbán mentioned that they had known each other for a long time, so Sulyok's views were familiar to him. "We are talking about a Catholic man who will serve the country as a committed believer from head to toe," Orbán said.
“I'm quite an old warhorse”
At this point in the conversation, they turned to Orbán's Friday visit at Donald Trump's estate in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. Orbán said that in America they understand that if there is a war in the neighbourhood, then your property becomes less valuable, and he said that the Americans understand and appreciate that Hungary is a safe country.
"I'm quite an old warhorse, I've known a lot of American presidents. The current US administration wants to remove us, so they are giving money to Hungarian left-wing journalists,"
he said. Orbán said that the fact that he and Trump are both pro-peace is at the root of all the differences between them and the current US administration.
Donald Trump has detailed plans on how to end the war and these coincide with Hungary's interests, Orbán said. The Prime Minister said that if he becomes president again, Trump will not want to fund the security of Europeans, nor will he support the US giving money to Ukraine for the war.
Orbán also stated that Hungary is respected in the United States because "it has done things that they would like to do, but just can't," citing the following as examples:
- public safety, because "Hungary is respected in the United States because we are the safest country in Europe, which is widely acknowledged by everyone";
- in his opinion, the Americans also want to stop migration, but they aren't able to;
- we have a fence, which is guarded by policemen and soldiers, and they would like to have one like it in the United States too, because millions of illegal immigrants are coming in;
- the fact that Hungary stands up for family values also commands respect in America, because currently, everyone in Western Europe is talking about "this LGBTQ nonsense".
- Orbán said that Republicans understand that this is a difficult time in the U.S.-Hungarian relationship because the current U.S. administration expects things from Hungary that "we are not willing to and are unable to fulfill," such as:
- "get involved in the war (in Ukraine – TN),
- say that migration is a good thing, it just needs to be managed well,
- support LGBTQ rights, "and this whole messy system of a multicolored coexistence".
“We are talking about a legend”
"We have to acknowledge that the time for rearming Europe has come", Orbán said, adding that although the money spent on the army could be spent on other things, it is important to ensure that Hungary can defend itself.
"It was a family invitation," Orbán said of his meeting with Donald Trump in Florida, adding that Melania Trump is of Slovenian descent. Orbán was accompanied to Florida by his youngest daughter Flóra. Referring to Trump, Orbán said: "We are talking about a legend," adding that at the heart of this legend is a real couple. "The President's wife belongs here, she is from here, from Central Europe," Orbán said, adding that
Trump has been through a cleansing fire, but just like the “hero in Hungarian folk tales, he is going to win in the end”.
Orbán believes that Trump was close to reaching a major agreement with China when he was president, and said that he would try to achieve it again when he returns to the presidency. Orbán considers it possible for Donald Trump to conclude a trade agreement with China if he is elected. And if German, Chinese, South Korean and American capital could all work together within Hungary, the increase in scale would certainly benefit the well-being of the Hungarian people, he said.
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