New Hungarian PM says Orban government was using taxpayer money to fund US pro-Trump activist group CPAC
The pro-Trump activist group had longstanding ties to Orbán's government and endorsed the prime minister before his historic election defeat
Hungary’s new prime minister has revealed that his predecessor, Viktor Orbán, funded the powerful pro-Trump activist group Conservative Political Action Conference – and has pledged to stop donations.
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Opposition leader Péter Magyar celebrated a triumphant election win last weekend in a historic defeat of Orbán’s 16-year-long authoritarian regime.
As one of his first acts as prime minister, Magyar accused Orbán of redistributing taxpayers’ money into CPAC’s pockets and vowed to sever the cash flow.
Magyar also announced Hungarian authorities will investigate the “criminal offence” of mixing party funds with government spending.
Read more: 'Now we have democracy': Hungarians jubilant as Orbán ousted after 16 years in charge
CPAC has had deep ties to Hungary in recent years: It held its first conference in the country in 2022, and the conservative network has long endorsed Orbán's leadership.
As recently as last week, US Vice President JD Vance visited the country in a last-ditch bid to secure Orbán's re-election.
Ahead of the highly anticipated vote, the influential American organisation said it was “closely watching this very important election in Hungary”, and said, “We stand firmly with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the Hungarian people as they vote.”
As the political tides turn in Hungary following Magyar’s momentous victory, the new prime minister made his position on CPAC clear.
Magyar said on Monday: “CPAC can come to Budapest, very welcome, but not from Hungarian taxpayers’ money”.
The new leader also pledged to stop the reported state financing of the Matthias Corvinus Collegium, a think tank spearheaded by Orbán’s political director, which politically aligns with Orbán's party, Fidesz.
CPAC Hungary is run by the Centre for Fundamental Rights – an Orbán-sympathetic Hungarian think tank which has allegedly been indirectly funded by the Hungarian regime through the Batthyány Lajos Foundation.
Roger Neal and Hannah Stone, Spokespersons for CPAC, insisted that the organisation has never received funding from the Hungarian government.
In a statement, they told Politico: “Headquartered in the USA, CPAC started an international model 10 years ago that is effective and is fully compliant with all relevant laws. This movement is based on donations from a wide array of sources.”
They maintain that “any decisions on the use of government money in Hungary will have zero impact on our organisation as it has never received any of these funds.”
Peter Magyar, who previously served in Orbán’s party, resigned in February 2024 over a controversial presidential pardon scandal and pledged to uncover corruption in Hungarian politics.
As part of this work, he promised to set up new government agencies responsible for rooting out corruption and recovering stolen funds.
He has also committed to work toward reclaiming the lost €17 billion in EU funding, which the organisation blocked in response to Hungary’s democratic backsliding.