The US State Department plans to fund MAGA-aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe, under the pretence of protecting free speech, promoting Washington's policy positions, The Financial Times reported on Thursday.
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Sarah Rogers, leads the initiative. The FT reported that she allegedly met with right-wing think-tanks and has spoken to prominent figures in Nigel Farage's Reform UK party in December last year, offering funding to spread 'American values'.
The funding was linked to the upcoming 250th anniversary celebrations of US independence in July, the FT sources, familiar with the matter, claimed.
The US national security strategy, released several months ago, has called for "cultivating resistance", accusing the European Union of "censorship of free speech" and citing mass migration as a cause for future "civilisational erasure," echoing far-right conspiracists.
The FT sources added that Rogers specifically targets the UK's Online Safety Act and the EU's Digital Services Act. The Trump administration perceives these regulations as "fundamentally American-targeted regulatory schemes," seeking to attack free speech, American industry and the independence of the tech sector.
Reform UK, known for its radical anti-migration rhetoric, seemed to welcome those intentions. A senior Reform UK member, who spoke to Rogers, praised the US for "a crusade to save Europe."
"They have a real soft spot for the UK but feel it is under threat from dark forces that are spreading across Europe," they told the FT.
The UK's Online Safety Act of 2023 requires social media companies, search engines, and messaging platforms to prevent user access to illegal content and protect children from harmful, age-inappropriate material.
Similarly, the EU's Digital Services Act forces online platforms to tackle illegal content, combat disinformation, protect minors, and increase algorithmic transparency.
A state department spokesperson shrugged off accusations of covert funding, often used for illegal or corrupt practices, bribery or lobbying, and claimed that the funding was "a transparent, lawful use of resources to advance US interests and values abroad."
