Zoltán Kovács, State Secretary for International Communications and Relations at the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office, said the left has done the same thing for 15 years—deny everything the government does. He made the statement Tuesday on the online program Fight Hour.
Referring to misinformation surrounding the Otthon Start housing scheme, Kovács said hundreds of thousands have shown interest and that “reality will come knocking on September 1,” debunking online falsehoods. He dismissed “property inflation” as a made-up term, arguing that property prices rise due to growing value. With 3 percent mortgage rates lower than rental costs, young people could build wealth, he said, adding that renting represents “a form of vulnerability.”
Addressing criticism of the cost of August 20 celebrations, Kovács claimed the left has always hated national holidays, now led by the mayor of Budapest. He noted that August 20 has been a public holiday since 1891 and that hundreds of thousands attend the festivities each year. He accused opposition media of a “systematic smear campaign,” now institutionalized with the rise of the Tisza Party.
On foreign policy, Kovács commented on the Trump-Zelensky meeting, saying peace will not come quickly, and even the parties involved “don’t yet know” the fate of eastern Ukrainian territories. He said Prime Minister Orbán had been proven right, citing the Finnish prime minister's remark that more progress had been made toward peace in two weeks than in the past three years.
Later in the program, Fidesz-KDNP communications director Tamás Menczer said Donald Trump is “the president of peace,” and stressed that Ukraine must not join NATO or the EU. He criticized EU funds being sent to Ukraine instead of revitalizing European economies.
On the death of József Sebestyén, Menczer questioned Ukraine’s explanation and said the family is pursuing legal options despite difficulties in securing representation there, which he said reflects Ukraine’s poor rule of law.
Menczer concluded that Hungary is best served by a government led by Prime Minister Orbán. He described opposition figure Péter Magyar as “a plastic guy” with no real party or message, calling his movement “a digital bluff.”