Sebastian Gorka

Not to be confused with Sebastián Gorga.

The native form of this personal name is Gorka Sebestyén Lukács. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Sebastian Gorka
Gorka in 2021
Born
Sebastian Lukács Gorka

(1970-10-22) October 22, 1970 (age 53)
London, England
Citizenship
EducationSt Benedict's School, Ealing
Alma materHeythrop College, University of London (BA)
Corvinus University (MA, PhD)
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKatharine Cornell (m. 1996)
Children2[1]
Websitewww.sebgorka.com

Sebastian Lukács Gorka (Hungarian: Gorka Sebestyén Lukács; born October 22, 1970)[2] is a British-Hungarian-American media host and commentator, currently affiliated with Salem Radio Network and NewsMax TV, and a former United States government official. He served in the Trump administration as a Deputy Assistant to the President for seven months, from January until August 2017.[3][4][5][6]

Gorka was born in the United Kingdom to Hungarian parents, lived in Hungary from 1992 to 2008, and in 2012 became a naturalized American citizen.[7] Gorka has written several books and for a variety of publications, is politically conservative[8][9] and has ties to the alt-right,[10][11] though he rejects the term and has condemned the alt-right, calling it "bogus" and "a new label for nationalists or irredentist bigots".[12]

During his time in the Trump administration, Gorka gave a series of combative interviews with the press in which he defended the administration's positions on national security and foreign policy. Various national security scholars in academic and policymaking circles have characterized Gorka as fringe. Some critics have challenged his academic credentials, his views on Islam and radicalization, and his motives for identifying with the Order of Vitéz and supporting Magyar Gárda, a paramilitary organization banned by the European Union.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference People: Sebastian Lukacs Gorka was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Crilley, Rob (March 19, 2017). "Donald Trump aide Sebastian Gorka denies claims he was sworn member of Hungarian group with Nazi past". The Daily Telegraph. London, England. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  3. ^ Karni, Annie & Dawsey, Josh (August 25, 2017). "White House aide Sebastian Gorka ousted from post". Politico. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  4. ^ "Trump aide Sebastian Gorka departs from White House post". Fox News. New York City: News Corp. August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference ap17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Sebastian Gorka No Longer a Fox News Contributor". The Hollywood Reporter. March 3, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  7. ^ Balogh, Eva S. (February 2, 2017). "Sebastian L. von Gorka's encounter with the Hungarian National Security Office". Hungarian Spectrum. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017.
  8. ^ Jaffe, Greg (February 20, 2017). "For a Trump adviser, an odyssey from the fringes of Washington to the center of power". Washington Post.
  9. ^ Engel, Pamela (February 22, 2017). "Sebastian Gorka, Trump's combative new national security aide, is widely disdained within his own field". Business Insider. New York City: Axel Springer SE. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  10. ^ Posner, Sarah (August 10, 2017). "Why is Sebastian Gorka still in the White House?". Washington Post. Washington DC: Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  11. ^ Pugh, Tony (August 13, 2017). "Rights leaders demand Trump fire 'alt-right' hero Steve Bannon". McClatchy DC. Washington DC: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  12. ^ "Working for Trump, Media Attacks, and Europe's Immigration (Sebastian Gorka Pt. 1)". The Rubin Report. April 25, 2018. 29:24. Retrieved April 28, 2018.