Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), a top candidate to become Donald Trump‘s running mate in the 2024 elections said Sunday that the US “can learn from” Hungary’s prime minister Victor Orban when it comes to addressing what he describes as the left-wing bias of American universities.
In an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Vance argued that American universities are “controlled by left-wing foundations.”
“They are not controlled by the American taxpayer and yet the American taxpayer sends hundreds of billions of dollars to these universities every year,” he added.
When asked by CBS’s Margaret Brennan whether he would like the federal government to have direct control over academic institutions, Vance responded that he believes taxpayers “should have a say in how their money is spent.”
“Universities are part of a social contract in this country,” he said. ‘But if they don’t raise our children properly, and they put the next generation in mountains of student debt, then they are not living up to their agreements. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to say that there needs to be a political solution to that problem.”
While Vance said he did not support every policy Orbán has implemented, he added: “I do think he has made some smart decisions there that we in the United States can learn from.”
After @margbrennan notes that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán “took control of state universities and placed them in foundations that were then managed by his allies,” Senator John said. @JDVance1 (R-OH) defends his praise for Orbán on this issue, saying he “doesn’t endorse everything… pic.twitter.com/gufKQUIwgX
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 19, 2024
Hungary transferred control of 11 public universities to semi-public foundations led by Orbán’s allies in 2021, a move critics of the government said was aimed at ensuring the conservative leader would retain significant influence over institutions that were independent.
But in an interview with The European Conservative earlier this year, Vance seemed to like his approach.
“Viktor Orbán’s approach in Hungary comes closest to successfully tackling the left-wing domination of universities by conservatives,” he said. “I think his approach should be a model for us: not to eliminate universities, but to give universities the choice between survival or a much less biased approach to teaching.”
Orbán, long celebrated by conservative figures in the US, has cracked down on the free press and judiciary and has also befriended US adversaries including Russia, China and Iran.
Former President Donald Trump received Orbán at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in March.
“There is no one better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orbán,” Trump said at the time. “He’s fantastic.”
Still, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) last week urged members of his party to be wary of backing Orbán.
“This is not where America should be taking our foreign policy cues,” he said. “I didn’t think conservatives had time for those who suck at Iran.”
But Vance told CBS that it is actually the US’s fault that Orbán is turning to Beijing.
“American leadership is not making smart decisions,” he said. “We push other countries into the arms of the Chinese because we don’t make enough stuff, because we often have ridiculous foreign policies.”
Vance is among the Republicans on Trump’s vice presidential shortlist.
In a recent interview with Scripps News, Trump hinted that he would likely announce his running mate at the Republican National Convention in July.
