‘Don’t Interfere!’ — Hungary’s Orbán Says Democrats Should Stop Telling Others ‘How to Live’

Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, speaks during a session at the Qatar Economic Foru
Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Kurt Zindulka

The Democrats in the United States should focus on their own country instead of trying to impose their leftist ideology on the rest of the world, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said.

Speaking with the Bloomberg news agency in an interview at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha this week, Hungary’s populist-nationalist leader stressed the importance for countries such as the United States to respect the cultural identity of others, particularly for the left-wing Democrat party, which despite professing tolerance as a virtue seems to often struggle to embody it themselves.

“I would say that the American Democrats are far more ideologically led than the Republicans. The Democrats always like to convince you and sometimes force you how to live and I don’t like it,” he continued.

“We have our own culture, the culture defines how we live, don’t interfere, please. Don’t educate us, don’t say what is good, what is bad, we don’t like that, it’s not your job, it’s not the job of the Americans or any other nation, it’s the job of the Hungarians.”

“Donald Trump understands that. It’s very important,” Orbán concluded.

Mr Orbán’s domestic agenda, which has emphasised Hungary’s Christian heritage and support for the traditional family structure, and opposition to mass migration and far-left gender ideology being pushed upon children has long drawn the ire of leftists in West, from members of the legacy media, so-called civil society NGOs funded by the likes of George Soros, and politicians from Brussels to Washington.

The Hungarians previously criticised Obama-era State Department officials for acting as a “liberal cabal”, particularly following a controversial $700,000 media fund that the American government dumped into Hungary in a move widely regarded as an attempt to overthrow the Orbán government.

When pressed on whether he believed there was “something wrong” with President Biden, Mr Orbán joked: “It’s not my job to criticise the President of the United States, it’s not a good business idea.”

On whether he believed that his longtime political ally former President Donald Trump would win the upcoming presidential election, the Hungarian leader said “I hope so” while crossing his fingers for good luck.

Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka

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