Trump Plans $4 Million for Right-Wing Media in Europe

The Trump administration plans to spend $4 million strengthening right-wing media in Europe, adding to a broader package of at least $25 million for civil-society groups pursuing conservative goals across the region.

The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor told Congress on Aug. 21 that it intended to provide the money, according to four people familiar with the funding. Reuters could not determine which organizations or journalists might receive grants.

Three million dollars would support a program documenting and analyzing democratic backsliding in Europe in connection with mass and illegal migration, the independent media landscape and legislative programs of supranational bodies, the sources said. Another $1 million would establish a consortium of independent journalists covering national sovereignty, natural rights and religious freedoms.

The State Department said the funding aims to strengthen transatlantic ties and promote freedom of speech. A department spokesperson also said the bureau does not fund political parties and that President Donald Trump’s administration remains committed to defending democracy and human rights, including in Europe. The European Commission had not immediately responded to a request for comment.

The grants have already drawn criticism in some European capitals. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X in July that “France and Europeans will not tolerate any attempt at foreign interference in their electoral processes, no matter where it comes from.” Around $10 million in related funding had been publicly disclosed in July and August, while the Aug. 21 notification accounts for at least another $15 million.

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France and Europeans will not tolerate any attempt at foreign interference in their electoral processes, no matter where it comes from.