Thread by @daithaigilbert

Heading to Budapest today to cover #CPACHungary where American conservatives will come to learn how to be better conservatives by listening to authoritarian Hungarian leader Victor Orban, who will give the keynote speech

At least the weather in Budapest is better

#CPACHungary is taking place in a newly built shopping centre/conference centre know locally as "The Whale"

Huh, so it seems like #CPAC is adopting Viktor Orban's crackdown on the press. When I called into the event location today, the Hungarian organizers said I wouldn't be allowed to enter the conference....

Good morning from CPAC day 1 here in Budapest.

Some protests outside #CPACHungary this morning. Most attendees walking over them or laughing at them

The protester, who did not want to be interviewed on camera, said it was just a small protest against the "fascists" attending the conference #CPACHungary

And just like that the protest is scrubbed away

Now it's a game of cat and mouse

#CPACHungary is about to begin here in Budapest, but rather than being inside the building, I'm relegated to watching it online as the organizers have not allowed me (or any western media?) into the event. Why is that @CPAC @mschlapp @Schneider_DC?

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has just arrived and shook a lot of hands ...

Now the hosts are talking about the history of CPAC (which began in 1974 with a keynote from Ronald Reagan) and how this is the first CPAC event in Europe.

One of the hosts was introduced as "the nightmare of the left wing media"...whatever that means

First order of business is some prayers #CPACHungary and then the schedule says we'll be hearing from Fox News host Tucker Carlson who has recorded a video message for the conference.

If you are wondering "Why the Hell CPAC is taking place in Hungary" then you can read this while waiting for Tucker

vice.com/en/article/88g…

Now it's national anthem time. The Hungarian guy singing the US anthem seems to be outsung by some woman in the crowd who is singing very loudly

Now we're listening to a very video montage telling us that Hungary is at the forefront of the Resistance of the Right. The video features every from Trump and Orban to Tucker and...Jordan Peterson?

First up to speak is the head of the Center for Fundamental Rights which organized CPAC with the @acuconservative. Miklos Szantho just compared bringing CPAC to Hungary to getting a man on the moon #CPACHungary

The host said that there are over 200 foreign attendees in Budapest for the event.

Monitoring those going into the event this morning, it seemed to me that the vast majority of people attending were Hungarian. Some Americans, some other Europeans, but mostly locals.

Now speaking is @mschlapp who says Americans are in Hungary to listen and learn.

He says everyone asks why CPAC in is Hungary. "Because it's the right place to be to start this conversation about what's going on in Europe."

#CPACHungary

Schlapp ends his speech, which included a lot of praise of Orban, by saying: "This is a time for fighters. And America, don't worry, don't despair. America is on the way back. America has woken up from a stupor."

It's TUCKER TIME

Well, that was underwhelming. The message was less than a minute long and all the Fox News host said was he will be back in Hungary soon.

The woman I met this morning who said Carlson's comments were one of the main reasons she was attending will be pretty disappointed.

Now the main attraction, Viktor Orban, who opens his speech by welcoming former Czech leader Vaclav Klaus #CPACHungary

Speaking about "grey suit commie comrades" who once ruled Hungary, Orban references the TV series Chernobyl, but mistakenly calls it a Netflix series. (It was produced by HBO)

Now Orban just quoted a line from Sting's song Englishman in New York....this is getting weird.

Orban: "My friend Donald Trump..." #CPACHungary

Orban: "Hungary is the laboratory where we have come up with the antidote for progressive dominance.”

The Hungarian leader now laying out his 12-point "recipe" for this antidote. Effectively telling Americans what they need to do to replicate Hungarian authoritarianism in the US

Now he's speaking about the Ukraine war. "Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine is the victim" but he adds that Hungary will not pay the price of way. #CPACHungary

Orban's fourth point for his antidote to wokeness: "Have the Media" #CPACHungary

Orban says that he sets aside one day a week just to read.....hmmn, I'm not sure his good friend Donald Trump does the same thing. #CPACHungary

theatlantic.com/politics/archi…