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Tuesday, November 5, marked a pivotal moment for the future of the world's most powerful country—a crossroads between two vastly different visions. The U.S. presidential election brought a sweeping victory for Donald Trump and the Republicans, possibly the most remarkable political comeback in American history.
At the MCC Debrecen Center, all three participants of the panel discussions on the topic had significant American experience: Luke Larson, a former MCC Budapest Fellow; Thomas Grischany, a historian; and Matthew Roy, Budapest Fellow.
Thomas Grischany is an Austrian professor of international relations who earned his PhD at the University of Chicago. Luke Larson spent four years in Hungary, most recently as an MCC Visiting Fellow, and now works on Capitol Hill. Matthew Roy, member of the Budapest Fellowship Program, has extensive experience in the Washington energy sector.
Larson opened the discussion by reflecting on the unexpected nature of Trump’s rise. Through his charisma and ability to attract new voter groups, Trump transformed from a politically inexperienced television celebrity into a two-term president who reshaped American history, overcoming some of the country’s most powerful institutions and political dynasties.
The conversation primarily focused on international relations, with particular attention to threats from China, Russia, and the Middle East. Dr. Grischany suggested that Trump would take a tougher stance on China, dismissed fears of the U.S. withdrawing from NATO as unrealistic, and emphasized the difficulty of making predictions about Trump. The panelists agreed that one of the most intriguing developments in the coming years would be the warming of Hungarian-American relations as a new administration, more amicable to the Orbán government, comes to power.
Roy addressed the significance of Project 2025, a topic of debate during the campaign. While Trump distanced himself from it before the election, many of the proposals and personnel recommendations are likely to shape the next four years of the White House, Roy explained.
