Video: Hungarian prime minister defends national sovereignty

Welcome to "tucker carlson Tonight". Of the 200 different countries. On the face of the earth, one of hem has an elected leader that publicly identifies as a Western-style conservative. His name is victor orban, the Prime minister of hungary. It's a small country in the mMiddle of central europe. It has no navy, no nuclear wWeapons. The gdp is smaller than new york State. So you don't think leaders in Washington would pay attention to hungary. They do but rejecting the neo-liberalism. What does victor believe? A few years ago, his views were moderate an conventional. He's thinks families are more important than banks. He thinks countries need borders. For saying these things out loud, he's been vilified. He's been announced as a Fascist. Last fall joe biden suggested he's a totalitarian dictator. Official washington despises him so thoroughly that many neocons are backing the open anti-semites that are running against him. We watch this from the United States and we wondered if what we heard could be true so we. Came to hungary to see for ourselves.

We sat down with him for a couple long conversations. We'll show you some of that and you can make up your own mind about it. First a word about hungary. Even if you understand the American news media lie, it's bewildering to see the extent of their dishonesty. We read many times how opressive hungary is. Freedom house, an ngo in Washington funded by the u.s. Government describes hungary as less free than south africa with fFewer civil liberties. It's not just wrong but it's insane. If you live in the united states, it's bitter to see the contrast with budapest and new york city. Let's say you loudly and publicly attack joe biden's policies. His policies on immigration or covid or transgender athletes. If you kept talking like that. you would likely be silenced by joe biden's allies in silicon valley. If you kent it up, you might. Have to hire armed body guards. That's common in the u.s. Ask around. It's unknown in hungary. Opposition figures don't worry. That they'll be hurt for their opinions and neither does the prime minister. Orban drives himself with no security. So who is freer? In what country are you more likely to lose your job for disagreeing with the orthodoxy? In america, it's painful to Admit it. with that here's victor orban. He's worth hearing.

>>Mr. Prime minister, thanks. Very much. In 2015, hundreds of thousands of migrants appear on your southern border. They stream into germany. The rest of the eu says welcome we're strong enough. Hungary says no. Why? Why did you take a different position on migration from other european countries? European countries?

>>Orbán: that was the only reasonable behavior. If someone cross your border you have to defend your country. Stay stop. If you'd lake to cross or come there's a legal procedure. We have to do it. You can't cross without any kind. Of limitation and permission and then contribution and control of the hungarian state. It's dangerous. You have to defend your people against any danger.

>>Tucker: you think you have a right to do that?.

>>Orbán: of course. It's coming from the god, the nature. All arguments with us. This is our country. This is our population. This is our history, our language. We have to do that. Of course, if you're in trouble. And there's nobody closer to you than the hungarians, you have to be helpful. You can't say, okay, it's a nice. Country. I would like to come and live here because it's a nicer life. This is not a human right to come here. No way. It's our land. It's a nation, a community family, history, tradition, language.

>>Tucker: saying what you just said, which will seem obvious to a lot of our viewers is very offensive to a lot of countries in western europe to their leaders.

>>Orbán: because in european countries decided to open a new chapter of their own history of the nation. They call it new society, which is a post christian, post national societies. They believe firmly that if different communities even huge number of muslim communities and  the original inhabitant,  Christian communities, the outcome of this will be good. There's no good or bad. I think it's very risky. The chance that it will be not good but it will be very bad is obvious. Each nation has the right to take this risk or to reject this risk. We hungarians decided not to take that risk. That's why there's hungary so -- that's why my personal. Reputation is very bad. I'm treated like the black sheep of the european union. Personally.

>>Tucker: so it has been six years since germany, angela merkel made the decision to let many hundreds of thousands in her country.

>>Orbán: millions.

>>Tucker: non-german speakers. Mostly muslim. What have the effects been in germany?.

>>Orbán: you know, diplomacy is -- requires some bad behavior. It was that decision. They took the risk. Now they got what they have deserved. That's their life. I wouldn't want categories to describe the outcome of their decision. The hungarians have the right to make our own choice.

>>Tucker: you became famous in the late 80s as a student, one of the leaders against soviet occupation of hungary. You were a hero to many in the  United states and at the time. During the cold war we paid close attention to hungary. The u.s. Government was on your side. So 30 years later, joe biden while running for president last year on abc news described and wuggested you were a totalitarian thug.

>>Orbán: you can see everything from belarus to poland, hungary. The rise of totalitarian regimes in the world as well as this President embraces all the thugs in the world.

>>Tucker: he said be wilders for you to see the change. How do you respond?.

>>Orbán: first of all, the reaction of  that kind of opinion in hungary is not very polite, I think who is that guy to say that?. Okay. He's the president of the united states. We should take it seriously. But anyway, somebody that does not speak our language has a very limited knowledge on hungary even in the recent several decades of our life. No understanding obviously, having an opinion like that, you know. It's a personal insult for the hungarians. Because he's the president of The united states, we have to be very modest and respectful and we have to make a lot of things. Up to clarify that what he's doing is rather fake. We try to do that in a polite way. We respect americans. We respect american democracy a nd culture. We don't want to destroy our relationship. Because the relationship with the americans is basically very good. We're incorporating well on defense, nato allies, economic cooperation is excellent. Big investor here, trade is going very well. Your businessmen are finding a lot of possibilities here. Everything is fine except the politics. The liberals in government in washington. That's the problem. We have to understand that american-hungarian relationship is value even if the americans don't perceive it as it was previously. We have to save what we can save.

>>Tucker: it's a little strange. I don't think joe biden has referred to xi jinping as a totalitarian thug. Not just you. By the way the polish government as well.

>>Orbán: the problem is the success. It's a real challenge for the liberal thinkers that what is going on in central europe. Poland, hungary, in poland too. Much, speaking too much on our intentions. So what is going on here is building up a society which have very successful economically. Cultural. We have some success, family policy. What you can see here could be described as a success story. The fundamentals of the success are totally different than it is visioned and run and created by many other western countries. So the western liberals cannot accept that inside the western civilization, there's a conservative national alternative which is more successful in the level of them. The liberal ones. That's the reason why -- they're fighting for themselves, not against us. We're an example that somebody with a country, which is based on traditional values, on national identity, based on tradition of christianity could be successful or more successful than a leftist liberal government.

>>Tucker: it's interesting for an american to see this so the american media, the biden administration, the state department is opposed to you. Because they say you're a totalitarian thug. Your opponents are a coalition of former communists and anti-semites. Is it strange to see the american left rooting for a coalition that includes anti-semites?

>>Orbán: yeah. Let's say if you would have asked me several years ago whether it could happen that the ex-communist political forces and the anti-semite right is forming a coalition against pro Israeli, pro nato government. That we have, my answer is Impossible. But now the international communities accept it. Here in hungary, they try to make a broad coalition against. The ruling government. Okay. But to accepted that, you know by the international communist Is so easily, i'm surprised. I'm surprised. Especially the behavior america. Is totally new experience for me.

>>Tucker: it does seem like. Hungary is moving in a different. Direction from the rest of the. Western world. I mean, do you think that 20 years from now that will be an. Unbridgeable divide?.

>>Orbán: describe what I see. Describe in the central european countries, the countries that suffer the most from communist dictatorship. So in these countries, my approach or the hungarian approach is very popular. Probably have a majority in all of that societies. Not only poland and hungary. They're more moderate. The others are more moderate. If you understand what they're doing, what are the fundamentals and motivations is basically belonging to the same political family anyway.

>>Tucker: yes.

>>Orbán: on the western society, there is a lot of people, millions of people that disagree with the direction of the policy taken at this moment. Which is not respecting the families, more based on migration, which is more open society, which is more -- so I don't say that the political competition is over in the western societies. I see changes in the key country like italy. The fight and the competition is very open. So I can see changes in the western countries also that they. Are able to change their policy from liberal to conservative or from liberal leftest to christian democracy. The change is there. We're not internationally well-organized. So the forthcoming years are exciting.

>>Tucker: i've noticed in the last few nights in budapest. I've run into a number of. Americans that have come here because they want to be around.people that agree with that Agree with you. Do you see budapest as a kind of capital of this kind of thinking?.

>>Orbán: the capitol of that kind of thinking or one of the capitols. Because the other central european countries can organize that kind of community of conservative and christian democrats thinkers as we do. We incorporate with those countries so those networks are getting closer to each other. It's getting more and more real since we're a european network. But not only thinkers older citizens, average citizens are moving to central european.countries. It's not to dynamic at this moment, but the signs are clear. Many christian families and conservative families that think that western europe is not secure enough, the future is unstable. The public security is not provided and the direction of the countries or the basic values of the country is changing not to their taste or their intention. They're looking for other places. So if you go to the hungarian countryside, you can see western European families that moved to hungary. In the european union, we have free movement so many are spending more and more time here. We can't exclude the future of the european history from migration.

>>Tucker: within europe.

>>Orbán: the christians and the conservatives decide to find a better home. We can't exclude that.

>>Tucker: so up until very. Recently, hungary is a small nation. Had two big nuclear armed. Allies. The united states and israel. Probably netanyahu's closest europe. Probably closest to donald trump. We are does that leave you?.

>>Orbán: we're not fortunate in the recent years. Trump was supportive to us. Not just personally but politically also. That was a good friendship. And, you know, first america - America first is a very positive message here in central europe. It means if for donald trump. America first, for us, hungary could be first as well. Let's cooperate on that basis. That was a very good foreign policy. Very effective and we cooperated very well. The same with b.b. Netanyahu. A good friend of the hungarians. A good friend of the hungarians. When he was here, he had a good felationship. He lost also. So the judeo democratic thinking. Lost to major international supporter. So this is a totally new circumstance around hungary. For me as a politician, it's a strong challenge.

>>Tucker: you've got an election in april. Are you worried that there will be international interference in your election in hungary?.

>>Orbán: that will happen. We're not worried. We're prepared for that. Obviously the international left will do everything that they can do, probably more, to change the government here in hungary. We're aware of that and prepared to fight back.

>>Tucker: when the president of. The united states describes you as a totalitarian thug, it's a serious thing to say about somebody, I would note. That suggested why wouldn't the biden state department work to prevent you from being re-elected?.

>>Orbán: I think sooner or later, the americans will realize that issues in hungary might be decided by the hungarians. It's better for the leftist liberal government in the united states to have a good partner which is a christian democratic supported long-term.by the people, hungarian people than a government supported by america and take the position. After letting after several months and creating this civilization. Not love but stable partner is. better than the uncertain new one. I hope the americans understand that.

>>Tucker: no wonder they don't. Want you to hear what he has to say. You don't have to watch your country collapse. You don't have to have leaders. That hate the population or divide their own people against each other. Who make the country worse, open the borders, that increase. Crime, encourage people to live on the sidewalk and do drugs. If there's any lesson of talking to victor orban, it's that. The conversation went on for quite some time.