![Viktor Orbán's Letter to European Council President Surfaces Detailing His U.S. Visit](https://hungarytoday.hu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/D_MTI20231005002.jpg)
This is not the first letter the Hungarian Prime Minister has written to Charles Michel.Continue reading
U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, who has repeatedly commended the Hungarian government’s policies, has been nominated by Donald Trump as his vice presidential candidate at the ongoing Republican National Convention. The 39-year-old politician, who is a young man in the U.S. political elite, has in recent years presented Hungarian family and education policy as an example to the American people, writes Magyar Nemzet.
At a conference in 2021, while still a senatorial candidate, he blamed “the childless left” for the problems of the United States because they have no “physical commitment to the future of this country.” He cited as examples several senior Democrat politicians, starting with incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris.
In contrast, in Hungary, loans are given to newlyweds, which are later forgiven if the couple stays together and has children,
Vance emphasized. “Why can’t we do that here? Why can’t we actually promote family formation?,” the then senatorial candidate was quoted as saying by the British newspaper The Guardian in 2021.
On another occasion, he spoke about the left-wing bias of American universities on CBS News. The senator noted that U.S. higher education institutions are already “run by left-wing foundations” and that taxpayers have little say in how their money is spent. “Universities are part of a social contract in this country (…) but if they’re not educating our children well, and they’re layering the next generation down in mountains of student debt, then they’re not meeting their end of the bargain,” Vance stressed.
The idea that taxpayers should have some influence over how their money is spent at these universities is a perfectly reasonable thing to do, and I really think [Viktor Orbán] has made some smart decisions that we could learn from in the United States,”
the politician underlined.
According to Senator @JDVance1 Hungary has made some smart decisions in education policy that the US could learn from. Thank you, Senator.
In our view this is the only way we can increase the quality of education & ensure real academic freedom. Sharing experiences & best… pic.twitter.com/APkPNnpRME
— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) May 20, 2024
J.D. Vance also condemned the European Union’s policy towards Hungary. “If you want to have a rules-based international order, you shouldn’t penalize Poland or Hungary for having politics that are different from Brussels—but that’s exactly what they’ve been doing. So I think it’s completely absurd on its face,” he highlighted in an interview at this year’s Munich Security Conference.
The senator, who served in the navy during the Iraq War (2003-2011), grew up in a poor family in Middletown, Ohio, and went on to one of the most elite law schools in the U.S., Yale Law School. He rose to fame with his book Hillbilly Elegy (Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis), a rural ballad about the American dream, about which German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview that it brought tears to his eyes.
Vance has repeatedly spoken out against support for Ukraine, which has made him countless enemies in Washington. For example, in an opinion piece in the U.S. daily The New York Times he stated that “it is not the Republicans who stand in the way of Ukraine’s victory, but mathematics.” In addition, speaking on the Middle East conflict, he fully supports Israel’s war against Hamas and said that for an agreement to be reached between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Israel must first “finish the job.”
Upon the announcement of J.D. Vance’s vice presidential candidacy, the Prime Minister’s Political Director, Balázs Orbán, and Miklós Szánthó, Director General of the Center for Fundamental Rights, also congratulated him.
A Trump-Vance administration sounds just right Congratulations to @JDVance1 on being appointed by @realDonaldTrump as his running mate! pic.twitter.com/Y4gJfsmf2c
— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) July 15, 2024
Miklós Szánthó praised the senator for being an advocate of peace and a friend of Hungary, while stressing their shared values.
@JDVance1 is an advocate of peace and a friend of Hungary. He will be a great Vice President standing up for our basic values: God, Homeland, and Family. Congratulations Senator! We look forward to continuing the joint work with you and your wonderful team!
— Miklós Szánthó (@MiklosSzantho) July 15, 2024
Via Magyar Nemzet; Featured image via X/National Conservatism