
Remember the Old Days (Say, 2020)?
From American Diplomat by Ambassador (Retired) Pete Romero and Writer/Producer Laura Bennett
April 23, 2026 · 31 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the political maneuvers of Orban in Hungary and the experiences of running the embassy in Budapest during the Trump administration.
By what dirty tricks exactly did Orban seize control of his country? And how then did his rival Magyar beat him? And between those bookends, we offer a look at what it was like to run the embassy in Budapest under Trump I. Could it be any more different than Trump now? Dave Kostelancik, former Chargé d'Affaires, regales us.
People in this episode
Hosts: Pete Romero, Laura Bennett
Guest: Dave Kostelancik
Topics covered
- political control
- diplomacy
- embassy experience
- Trump administration
- Hungary politics
Keywords
- Orban
- Hungary
- Trump
- embassy
- politics
- diplomacy
- Kostelancik
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Trump
Places: Hungary, Budapest
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