SCOOP: CPAC plans next steps following "bucket list" conference in Hungary

THE LOWDOWN:

• Fresh off of its historic Polish success, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) continued its international tour with its latest CPAC in Hungary, taking over a convention center on the outskirts of Budapest.

• Following the event, CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp told the Washington Reporter that, while his organization’s “priority is America, we think we can help fight in America and inspire pushback in other major capitals.”

• Gladden Pippin, the president of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, told the Reporter that he’s seen the growth of conservatism spread across the Atlantic in recent years.

• Perhaps no issue resonated with attendees more than did illegal immigration. Ellie Cohanim, a veteran of the Trump administration, told the Reporter that many European nations need to “reverse their suicidal immigration and open borders policies, which have allowed millions upon millions of migrants into Europe who seek to undermine the very fabric of European societies.”

BUDAPEST — Fresh off of its historic Polish success, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) continued its international tour with its latest CPAC in Hungary, taking over a convention center on the outskirts of Budapest.

Conservatives from across the world gathered to assemble a global league of anti-globalists. Leaders from Hungary, America, Israel, Argentina, Poland, and beyond spoke about the need for countries to reclaim their sovereignty from Brussels.

Many speakers and attendees pointed to the leadership of both Presidents Donald Trump and Javier Milei as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as leaders they’d like their countries to emulate.

Following the event, CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp told the Washington Reporter that, while his organization’s “priority is America, we think we can help fight in America and inspire pushback in other major capitals.”

“I have great admiration for Prime Minister [Giorgia] Meloni,” Schlapp said when asked about where he’d like to bring CPAC next. “And of course my wife wants us to be organized in Spain. We could have a CPAC there in September.”

“We also will redouble our efforts around China in Asia, in the Western Hemisphere and we have our eyes on Africa to combat Christian persecution,” Schlapp continued. “We are also doing CPAC Iran in exile. We take our motto from Mother Cabrini: the money will follow the mission.”

Adrian Kubicki, one of the leading organizers behind this year's CPAC in Poland, told the Reporter that he was impressed by the “diverse lineup of speakers and great level of organization and professionalism of the CPAC Hungary team.” Looking to the future, Kubicki said that “CPAC Poland will work closely with our Hungarian colleagues to exchange experiences and knowledge. Ultimately we will build two strong and complementary European CPAC branches that will inspire other countries to join this wonderful and powerful movement.”

On the Hungarian side, Gladden Pippin, the president of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, told the Reporter that he’s seen the growth of conservatism spread across the Atlantic in recent years.

“After decades in which conservatives in America and Europe were separated, they’re now aligned on all the most important issues of the day, from migration to law and order and the need to forge a new conservative politics,” he said. “CPAC Hungary, as the first CPAC venture in Europe, highlights just this aspect.”

“In Hungary, conservatives learned how to govern, and this example has drawn visitors and built the strong political networks that now exist,” Pippin said.

The conference drew attendees from across the world; Curtis Houck, the managing editor of NewsBusters, was one of them. He told the Reporter that attending CPAC Hungary “was a bucket list trip” for him as someone who’s been attending CPAC conferences for over a decade.

“Miklós Szánthó and the Center for Fundamental Rights are incredible hosts and it was most heartening to see, from my perspective at the Media Research Center, a steadfast commitment to free speech and Judeo-Christian values,” Houck said.

“Quite frankly, it was moving to see and hear attendees speaking a diverse array of languages while still speaking about the same things, notably the need to defend Western civilization,” Houck said.

“Whether it was Ben Shapiro's audience Q&A, hearing from conservative leaders from the Baltics to the Balkans, Yair Netanyahu sharing how both the godless globalist elites and Islamists don't respect our way of life, there was something for everyone in the big tent,” he continued.

One of the ironies that many remarked on was that the attendees were expressly anti-globalist, yet they came to Budapest from all over the world. Houck didn’t find that surprising at all — and said that “as Americans, it's incumbent we care about what's happening across the pond.”

“We might roll our eyes at a seemingly arcane bit of bureaucracy from the EU, but their frightening attempts to roll back free speech rights, embrace godless wokeism, and erase the ability of member nations to control their borders are looming in our rearview mirrors if the left in America achieves a governing majority,” Houck said.

Days after CPAC Hungary, Poland defied the expectations of many and elected Karol Nawrocki as its next president. Attendees of CPAC Hungary may not have been surprised by those results. Several told the Reporter that Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, is a model to emulate for one to win politically at home.

Perhaps no issue resonated with attendees more than did illegal immigration. Ellie Cohanim, a veteran of the Trump administration, told the Reporter that many European nations need to “reverse their suicidal immigration and open borders policies, which have allowed millions upon millions of migrants into Europe who seek to undermine the very fabric of European societies.”

“Much of this migration includes populations from the Middle East and Africa who have been indoctrinated from their mother’s milk to hate Jews — and so European countries have literally imported anti-Semitism onto their shores,” Cohanim said. “These mistakes are still reversible, and Europe should look to Hungary and to Viktor Orban as the model.”

Other speakers were optimistic about certain elements of change they’ve seen in Europe. Carla Sands, who served as Trump’s Ambassador to Denmark in his first term, told the Reporter that she’s seen a “huge” change in Europe between the Trump terms.

“I think the good guys are winning despite the Ukraine-Russia war which must end,” she said.

But, Sands said, America’s European allies must ensure that they pick up their end of the bargain as well. “If our allies aren’t held accountable for carrying their own weight in our shared defense, it’s on us,” she cautioned.

All in all, CPAC attendees left the conference optimistic that the best is yet to come for the right in Hungary and beyond.

“CPAC Hungary continues to prove that the international right is no longer fragmented or isolated,” New York Young Republicans Club president Gavin Wax, one of the speakers, told the Reporter. “We are building real solidarity across borders. The event brought together thinkers, activists, and leaders who recognize the shared threats of globalism, mass migration, and cultural decay.”

“It set the stage for a more coordinated and confident international movement that is ready to win,” he added.