Posted 3/7/2024, 1:31:57 PM
Hungarian leader's authoritarian tactics offer warnings as he meets with Trump
- Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán presided over Hungary's decline into authoritarianism; he is meeting with Trump, who admires his authoritarianism
- As a Hungarian MP, I witnessed firsthand Orbán hijacking democratic institutions like the media, gerrymandering, and staffing offices with loyalists
- Authoritarian leaders like Orbán and Trump tilt the system to favor themselves while retaining a democratic facade
- Their support comes from those left behind economically and those motivated by bigotry and fear
- Hungary's fate holds warnings for America - democracy can't thrive in a divided, unequal society; the center must address economic insecurity