Subscribe to our social channels to get the latest news about Hungary!
A new meme source? PM Orbán’s struggle with the interpreting device caught on live video
Change language:
It appears that Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán didn’t quite understand how to use the interpreting device he was given. Well, at least he got one. Trump, on the other hand, had to listen to his Egyptian counterpart without any device for a while but managed to keep a good face about it.
Yesterday in Sharm El-Sheikh, after the signing of the documents for the long-term peace arrangement in Gaza, all the leaders had to line up behind Trump to listen primarily to the American president’s speech, as well as contributions from the Pakistani and Egyptian presidents. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, however, ran into trouble with his interpreting device during Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s speech. Quite a lot of trouble.
Did Orbán not understand how the interpreting device works?
The relevant footage was made public by Ákos Hadházy. In his posts, the independent MP—who manages to hold his seat in the Zugló constituency—hints at many things, mostly having a bit of fun at the prime minister’s intellectual abilities.
The video clearly shows that Orbán wanted to follow the speech of the Egyptian president in his mother tongue through the interpreting device, but it didn’t really work out for him. He tried to listen in various ways, but for some reason, he didn’t put the earpiece on properly. It seems as though he genuinely didn’t realise he had received an earpiece that simply needed to be worn, despite the fact that his neighbour put his on straight away.
- Trump’s stunning prediction about the result of the 2026 elections in Hungary – video
For some reason, he decided to hold the device up to his ear from the outside for several minutes, smiling in a way that suggested it might be deliberate. Presumably, that’s why Hadházy joked that he behaved a bit like Mr Bean. After a few minutes, Orbán may have worked out the trick (or simply noticed the devices already on the heads of both his neighbours) and finally put it on.