Tucker Carlson Went to Budapest Last Week
Here's a report by the Budapester Zeitung to bring this event to your attention
Original source; translation and emphases mine, as are the Bottom Lines.
EDIT: here is what Tucker Carlson said last week:
Note that—having watched both the talk and the ensuing Q&A—I think the best part is the answers Mr. Carlson provides.
‘The Germans will wake up’
US TV Journalist Tucker Carlson Again in Budapest
By Jan Mainka, Budapester Zeitung, 24 Aug. 2023
The well-known US TV journalist Tucker Carlson was in Budapest again on Tuesday [22 Aug. 2023]. He took part as a guest speaker in an event organised by the MCC.
He was invited by Balázs Orbán, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mathias Corvinus College (MCC) and Political Director of the Prime Minister's Office. ‘We have to admit that we don’t know and understand everything, and with this attitude we will be smarter than Biden and his administration or US Ambassador Pressman. They think they know what is good for Hungary. No, they don’t!’
And addressing the ambassador directly, [Carlson] advised, ‘you don't know Hungarian either, so go home.’ The US ambassador had repeatedly made a name for himself lately with fierce attacks against the Hungarian government.
‘I am ashamed of this ambassador’
According to Carlson, it is not the job of a diplomat to criticise the culture of another country, but rather to strengthen the connection and communication between the two countries. What Pressman is doing is political activism. For his unseemly behaviour, the current US ambassador should be recalled. ‘I am ashamed of my countryman and apologise for the behaviour of this ambassador.’
An unsustainable situation has arisen in the US: ‘The US wants to sell a product that nobody wants’, Tucker said. ‘I love America, but unfortunately our leaders today have gone crazy.’ The United States wants to impose its views on the countries of the world. True, he said, America’s core values have not changed. But unfortunately, he said, crazy people have taken power who won’t even pretend to work for a better life for the people there. This is a big change from the past, he said.
‘The Biden administration blew up the Nordstream pipelines’
Looking at geopolitics, Tucker noted that the world order was in flux and NATO was collapsing, adding in the same breath that he hoped he was wrong on that point.
‘The US is sabotaging the Germans’ energy supply, the Biden administration has blown up the Nordstream pipelines.’ Meanwhile, he said, the Germans are currently unable to stand up for their interests. ‘The US basically attacked Germany, which was the most important ally.’ But the Germans would wake up one day, and then there would be consequences.
‘Hungarian Politics Are Not Crazy’
During a conversation afterwards, Balázs Orbán mentioned that he was recognised by many people in America after his appearance on a Carlson programme, which shows that many people listen to what his interlocutors have to say. Carlson stressed that the reason for being recognised is rather that Hungary is a real inspiration for many Americans—not because it is radical, but quite the opposite: ‘There are no revolutions here, this country knows what it is, what its values are, what its culture is.’
Hungary just wants to be left alone and go its own way. Hungary is a good example of how to run a normal society without a lot of noise, without violence and without destroying what you have.
He said it was also interesting that American think tanks wanted to stop Hungary with US taxpayers’ money, but Hungarian policy was moderate. According to Carlson, no one here wants to kill each other, Hungarian politics is not revolutionary, not crazy. ‘This is wonderful.’
Tucker Carlson: Hungary is a fantastic country because it sticks to its values
Matthias Corvinus Collegium, 25 Aug. 2023 [source; emphases mine]
On the 22nd of August, Tucker Carlson, the United States’ leading political commentator…gave a rousing speech where he discussed common issues facing Hungary and the United States. Similar to last month’s MCC Feszt, the speech was preceded by panel discussions on important and topical issues…
Good books help you decide what is true and what is not.
Tucker Carlson, former legendary conservative Fox News anchor and current host of his own new social media show, opened his remarks by pointing out that the normality of Hungary reminds him of the America he grew up in. Continuing, he warned the audience that Hungary is condemned by many for sticking to its Christian values. He then sharply criticized the US Ambassador in Budapest, David Pressman, and insisted that he does not serve the interests or represent the values of US citizens.
Moving on to the Russian-Ukrainian war, he noted that Western media is painting a false picture of the war, claiming that the Ukrainians are winning, while the war and subsequent arms race is only claiming more and more lives.
In the discussion that followed the speech, Balázs Orbán, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of MCC, asked what advice he would give to young people, including the large number of students attending the event. Carlson suggested that they should read hard copy books, preferably every day. He lamented that today’s schools and universities have become godless places, requiring students to turn to books but to help us decide what is true and what is not.
When asked what advice he would give today to his younger self, he replied:
Don't be arrogant! Don't think you know everything, don't think you're right, and don't be so quick to judge. It's easy to judge, but when you can't even understand someone else’s marriage, how can you tell that you can understand someone else’s country? You have to admit that you cannot know everything, you cannot understand everything. This is a much wiser attitude than that of Biden and his administration, or Ambassador Pressman, who say, ‘I know what's right for you!’
Bottom Lines
I am the last person to call on you to believe anything at face-value.
While I was unable to find a video of the event, the Budapest Times actually had an English-language article on the event. You can find that one here, but you’ll also notice that it is different from the one above.
The key difference is the last paragraph of the English version, which reads:
Carlson also urged young people to read ‘paper books’ as opposed to electronic devices. ‘Schools come and go and their purpose changes over time…modern universities are now anti-God…but books don’t change, and they help people to discern between good and bad’, he said.
As the second above-related piece shows, the Budapest Times is, well, quite ‘liberal’ with the words it used.
Guess how many local Central European legacy media outlets are reporting on this event…
You asked how many Central European news outlets are reporting the event?
About the same number as the major American news outlets.....zero.
I saw a YouTube video of the speech and my first thought was, ‘Hey, maybe Tucker needs to run for President’.
His speech was that good.....