Mastodawn

William Lindsey

"After Victor Orbán’s Fidesz party took power in 2010, Hungary became a role model for those who admired corruption, fascism, and loyalty to Vladimir Putin. Orbán’s regime brought widespread crony capitalism, captured Hungarian media outlets, and installed corrupt judges. He actively undermined solidarity within the European Union and worked to block aid to Ukraine. Sound familiar?"

~ Paul Krugman

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/1

https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-axis-of-autocracy-loses-a-wheel

The Axis of Autocracy Loses a Wheel

Hungarians stand up for democracy

Paul Krugman

William Lindsey

"The U.S. right loved it. ...

The international ramifications will be huge. Among other things, Orbán was an enthusiastic Putin lackey, doing all he could to sabotage European aid to Ukraine. Peter Magyar, who declared in his victory speech that 'our country’s place is in Europe,' will presumably end the obstructionism."

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/2

William Lindsey

"And we’ve had yet another confirmation that Trump is Midas in reverse: Everything he touches turns to, well, something other than gold."

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/3

William Lindsey

"The defeat of Viktor Orbán is a big, big deal. He’s not only a core symbol of the global authoritarian movement. His regime was also its laboratory, its rallying point and a source of funding, a location to operate from. ... This is a big and consequential defeat for global Team Strongman."

~ Josh Marshall

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/4

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/orban-falls

Orban Falls

The defeat of Viktor Orban is a big, big deal. He’s not...

TPM - Talking Points Memo

William Lindsey

"Trump’s promise to voters that he would lower prices, along with his crusade against immigrants, attacks on education and the courts, and vow to resurrect a patriarchy in which white Christian men would dominate women and people of color, was closely patterned on the 'illiberal democracy' of Viktor Orbán in Hungary."

~ Heather Cox Richardson

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/5

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-12-2026

April 12, 2026

By the end of 2024, inflation in the U.S., which had soared in the aftermath of the Covid-19 lockdowns, was almost back to the Federal Reserve’s goal of 2%.

Letters from an American

William Lindsey

"MAGA Republicans embraced Orbán as the leader of a movement to replace democracy with an authoritarianism that empowered the far right."

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/6

William Lindsey

"Orbán was not merely a foreign leader. He was a model — held up at CPAC, celebrated by Tucker Carlson, visited by JD Vance days before this election. His brand of 'illiberal democracy' had admirers in Washington who argued it represented the future of conservative governance. Hungarian voters, with record turnout and a two-to-one margin, disagreed. The EU’s most disruptive internal actor is now gone."

~ Rudy Martinez

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/7

https://www.chicanoinparis.com/p/the-rest-of-the-world-report-april-535

The Rest of the World Report | April 13, 2026 — Morning Briefing

Viktor Orbán is finished. After 16 years in power, the Hungarian prime minister was routed Sunday in a parliamentary election that delivered his opponent Péter Magyar a supermajority so large it can rewrite the country’s constitution.

A Chicano In Paris

William Lindsey

"This is a serious loss for Trump (and his Orbán-loving henchman, JD Vance) who pushed hard to keep the Hungarian strongman in power—including full-throated endorsements, visits to Budapest, invitations to Mar-a-Lago and even a last-day promise/bribe by Trump to 'use the full Economic Might of the United States to strengthen Hungary’s economy.'"

~ Steven Beschloss

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/8

https://www.americaamerica.news/p/donald-trump-is-a-loser

Donald Trump Is a Loser

Five ways he is proving it

America, America

William Lindsey

"They not only learned that Hungarians rejected their corrupt illiberalism, but also that they did not have the power to swing a foreign election for a despised authoritarian."

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/9

William Lindsey

"The loss was especially bad news for JD Vance, who spent time in Hungary last week in an unprecedented move for an American leader, openly campaigning for the Putin-aligned Orbán. The Republican Party, of course, remained silent about that. Hopefully, Vance will campaign across the U.S. ahead of the midterm elections."

~ Joyce Vance

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/10

https://joycevance.substack.com/p/the-week-ahead-4b1

The Week Ahead

April 12, 2026

Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance

William Lindsey

"Adding to the schadenfreude, Vice President JD Vance actually traveled to Hungary and campaigned for Orban. 'What the United States and Hungary represent under Viktor’s leadership and under President Trump’s leadership is the defense of Western civilization,' Vance declared at one rally."

~ kos

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/11

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/12/2377541/-MAGA-friendly-dictator-s-stunning-election-loss-sends-a-strong-message-to-Trump

MAGA-friendly dictator's stunning election loss sends a strong message to Trump

Hungary’s strongman Viktor Orban has lost reelection in stunning fashion, an absolute electoral wipeout that presages what his MAGA allies in the U.S. will be facing this November.� The brand-new ...

Daily Kos

William Lindsey

"At another, he went full sermon: 'Will you stand for Western civilization and for the God of our fathers?'

The god of our fathers? Vance is so weird."

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/11

William Lindsey

"The outgoing prime minister’s loud and aggressive defence of traditional Christian family values made him a hugely popular and potent figurehead for his rightwing and far-right contemporaries."

~ Sam Jones

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/12

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/13/peter-magyar-election-win-hungary-eu-ukraine-russia

What does Péter Magyar’s win in Hungary mean for the EU and Ukraine?

Tisza leader has promised to repair Budapest’s ties with Brussels after years of strained relations under Viktor Orbán

The Guardian

William Lindsey

"While his critics saw him as illiberal, intolerant and profoundly undemocratic, his admirers delighted in his scorn for many of the values held dear across the majority of EU countries. Orbán’s departure has left them mourning a much-cherished totem."

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/13

William Lindsey

"In the case of Orban, there is no world leader other than Putin to which the U.S. president & the U.S. Republican party has attached itself to more closely than Orban, who has already served 16 years as the head of Hungary’s government. Orban was invited to CPAC conferences, to Mar-a-Lago, hailed by Trump as a political soulmate and offered up as an example of the anti-democratic ethno-nationalist ideal emulate by MAGAworld."

~ David Rothkopf

#Orbán #Trump #Putin
/14

https://davidrothkopf.substack.com/p/why-celebrate-jd-vances-worst-week

Why Celebrate JD Vance's Worst Week Ever?

Deep personal loathing helps, but it is not enough.

Need to Know by David Rothkopf

William Lindsey

"On a regular basis, he not only supported Trump but he advanced the Putin-Trump agenda with efforts to weaken and obstruct the EU and NATO and, in particular, to undermine European-US efforts to support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.

What is more, under Orban, Budapest became a hub of promoting a global right wing ethno-nationalist movement that extended far beyond Washington and Moscow and" (continued in /16)

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #Netanyahu #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/15

William Lindsey

(continued from /15)

"Netanyahu in Israel, Modi in India, Erdogan in Turkey, Bolsonaro in Brazil, Milei in Argentina, LePen in France, Vucic in Serbia and right wing parties across Europe and beyond. Furthermore, as such it also became conduit for Russian money into those parties.

That is why it was so important to Trump that Orban win."

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #Netanyahu #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/16

William Lindsey

"The Orban defeat really is a blow to Trump and the GOP’s hard right. Not just because Orban was their rockstar or because it was overall, a good day for democracy, for Europe, for Ukraine, and for American interests. It was also a blow because if investigations now take place into the Orban’s corruption it is almost certain that ties to the Kremlin and dirty Russian money and to American political leaders and groups will be further exposed."

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/17

William Lindsey

"Trump endorsed Orbán. Putin also did what he could. Even Benjamin Netanyahu sent a message to the annual U.S. CPAC conference in Budapest, hailing Orbán as a leader who can 'protect against this rising tide' of Islamic terrorism. 'Orbán means safety, security, stability.'

Today was a solid victory for democracy & a clear defeat for the forces of authoritarianism — in Hungary, in Europe, % in America."

~ Robert Reich

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/18

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/goodbye-viktor

Goodbye, Viktor.

Your loss is Hungary's (and democracy's) win

Robert Reich

William Lindsey

"This country is different than it was when Orbán was returned to power sixteen years ago. Its people have drunk deeply from the bitter cup of divisive politics, of petty vindictiveness, of corruption and incompetence, of resentment and hatred."

~ H. David Baer

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/19

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/maga-international-goes-down-in-flames-orban-magyar-hungary-trump-elections-iran-war-peace-talks-pakistan-strait-hormuz-blockade

MAGA International Goes Down in Flames

And so do the U.S.–Iran peace talks.

The Bulwark

William Lindsey

"They have had more than a taste of kleptocratic authoritarianism, demagoguery, and unrestrained political power. They have gorged themselves on Christian nationalism—and they have spit [sic] it out."

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #MAGA #Hungary
/20

William Lindsey

"Young voters in Hungary mobilized in record numbers to vote out the 62-year-old four-term prime minister – and ally of Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Vladimir Putin. Hungary’s youth saw through the fear-mongering that had buoyed Orbán in election after election since 2010. They want a future different from a fake return to a mythical past."

Jason Stanley

#Orbán #Trump #Putin #JDVance #Netanyahu #MAGA #Hungary
/21

https://zeteo.com/p/viktor-orban-landslide-defeat-means-trump-vance

What Viktor Orbán’s Landslide Defeat Can Teach Anti-Fascists Across the World

Philosopher Jason Stanley, who has been visiting Hungary for over 15 years, breaks down the historic defeat on Sunday of Trump, Putin, and Netanyahu’s top EU ally.

Zeteo

@wdlindsy The cloak is completely off Netanyahu, another agent of murderous, power seeking chao, part of the new axis of evil, Trump, Putin, Orban, with Jong Un (honorary member).

Stephen Dioxide

@wdlindsy It would clarify things if Vance would give a detailed description of what is -- and what is not -- Western civilization.

@Steve @wdlindsy

Vance's conception of western civilization died in the 1950's, if it ever existed at all.

Stephen Dioxide

@bruce @wdlindsy Probably, but I'd love to put him on the spot to see if he has a clear idea what he's talking about, or if this is just another dog whistle.

Well, it's a dog whistle either way.

Flowermob 1d ago

@wdlindsy The entire conservative movement is so weird. Let's destroy everything so no one else can do better. Let's do the exact opposite of what brown Jesus would want us to do and say it is in his name. Let's have the EPA make air and water quality worse. Let's make health insurance both unworkably expensive and incentivized to reject claims. Let's tax the poor really hard and let the rich have more money. It is as if the Superman Bizarro world has come to life but led by the Three Stooges.

@wdlindsy God, just another manipulation tool.

MidgePhoto 1d ago

@wdlindsy
(Mothers don't get one)

Nicole Parsons 1d ago

The creepiest billionaires on the planet bought a vice presidency for JD Vance in hopes that Trump would get a stroke or heart attack.

The Peter Thiel's of the globe are flush with cash from fossil fuel money laundering, ready & eager to enact their agenda.

Ecocide. Air pollution. Tax evasion. Water contamination. Deregulation. Lawlessness. De-constitutionalism. Ubiquitous surveillance.

Billionaires want a smarter, younger fascist puppet, now that Trump is fading fast.

Ross of Ottawa 1d ago

@Npars01 @wdlindsy the world's best hope is that the infighting about who gets to control the new guy will tear them apart. He doesn't bring the mystique of the (fictional) successful business man that the MAGA cult has soaked in for so long.

William Lindsey

@Npars01 You're exactly right.

Edelruth, PBS Passport Holder 1d ago

Beautiful bit of tongue-in-cheek there from Joyce.

six_grandfathers_mountain 21h ago

@Edelruth @wdlindsy
RE
#tongueincheek from #JoyceVance

Difficult to find what Ms. Vance was rippin on, took a few min, found it 🤣
Yea, she is announcing VP #JDVance will start campaing (for #Republicans) before the #midterms #midterms2026
🤪🔥🤪 Worked well for the #TiszaParty right?

SO many detailed and informed posts here, thx to ⭕Lindsey and ALL who comment‼️

Did we know that the #trumpadministration sold weapons, nuclear uranium to the #orban govt.?
And invited #victororban to #CPAC

Kierkethumbs up convincingly 1d ago

@wdlindsy oh no, a promise he was certain to fulfill

@wdlindsy We must look at ourselves and consider how this pestilence ever won any election. We should not like what we see from white privilege to racist, xenophobia, an ultimately capitalism run amuck, with STUPID stirred in.
Understand the forces behind the stock market, only perceive chances at accruing capital. There appears to be little if any consideration towards, stability, morality, humanity. Zero thought is applied to team success, this is a dog eat dog environment as is.

@wdlindsy And this is not a degrading trend that just started in 2016. It’s a trend that started in 1970, as capitalists organized, large corporations grew, accrual of capital became the ultimate goal, as our citizens became expendable, the intent of our constitution was degraded in the search for profits and some broke bad, choosing a bulldozer to finish us off. Trump is not merely one bad decision. He is the climax, $20T gone/stolen in under 2 years, the dagger to finish us off.

UncleRico 1d ago

@Huntn00 @wdlindsy A wildly underreported aspect of this Orban defeat is the 78% voter turnout and how having the election on a Sunday allowed the working class to represent.

@wdlindsy No wonder Humpty was rooting for Orban, thugs with each other’s backs.