G. Fodor Gábor

I trained to be a political scientist. At first I philosophised a great deal, then I analysed and opined in public, but about one thing I stayed silent: that I also give advice. Such are the unwritten rules of political life. I have been a university and academic man, I ran a provocative news portal, and I have done a good deal of research.

I was “a member of the Orbán team”. For more than a decade I took part in devising strategies and worked on texts and speeches. I was the strategic director of Századvég and of the XXI. Century Institute, and the chairman of the former. I have worked with, among others, István Stumpf (long ago), András Giró-Szász (somewhat later), Árpád Habony (a lot) and Mária Schmidt (half as much).

I have written books, several of them about the Hungarian prime minister. I have gathered a great deal of experience, and I believe I learned from the successes and the failures alike. Who does not know that it was I who said that “Civic Hungary is a political product”, or that the essence of politics is “owning the moment”. It is no accident that I became a pop-culture figure, a kind of hateable “public enemy”. One thing is certain: I am hard to label; my credo is that you always need an idea, and an idea is what you need.