BlogHear.com | International Affairs | May 30, 2025
The US Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) made a significant push in Europe this week, holding high-profile events in Poland and Hungary just days ahead of Poland’s decisive presidential election run-off.
The election pits nationalist candidate Karol Nawrocki, backed by CPAC and its US supporters, against liberal challenger and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski. CPAC speakers framed the race as a defining “battle for Western civilisation.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a key host of the Budapest conference, told attendees: “This is not a gathering of the defeated, but of those who have endured,” positioning the event as a rallying cry for nationalist movements across Europe. He praised former President Donald Trump, calling him a “truth serum” and emphasized a vision for a new Europe rooted in traditional values, national sovereignty, and conservative family structures.
Prominent far-right leaders including Alice Weidel of Germany’s AfD and Geert Wilders of the Netherlands echoed Orbán’s criticisms of the EU’s Green Deal, immigration, and what they described as “gender and woke madness.”
The week-long events featured a mix of political showmanship and ideological messaging, with speeches, light shows, and appearances from notable figures such as former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, former Australian PM Tony Abbott, and representatives from India’s ruling BJP.
In Warsaw, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem directly linked future US-Poland cooperation to the election outcome, stating, “If you elect a leader who will work with President Trump, the Polish people will have a strong ally.”
The gathering also fueled momentum for what speakers dubbed the formation of an “international nationalist movement” or “a global platform for anti-globalist forces,” with Hungary positioned as a European hub of conservative thought. “Budapest has become the intellectual capital of dissident European conservatism,” said Rod Dreher, editor of the American Conservative.
Yet, despite the bold rhetoric and optimism, the MAGA-aligned movement in Europe has seen recent setbacks. In Romania, liberal mayor Nicusor Dan won the presidency, defeating nationalist candidate George Simion, who warned that if Nawrocki loses, Orbán’s grip on Hungary may be next.
Further electoral disappointments came in Albania and Austria, where MAGA-aligned parties failed to secure leadership.
Divisions within the movement were also evident over foreign policy issues like Ukraine, and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni notably did not attend the events. Meanwhile, Hungary’s declining birthrate raised concerns over the effectiveness of Orbán’s long-running social policies.
As the CPAC events wrapped up on Friday evening in Budapest, attention turned to Poland, where Sunday’s vote may serve as a litmus test for the reach of the growing transatlantic nationalist alliance.
For more international political news, visit BlogHear.com – your trusted source for global analysis.
