EditU.S. pushes ‘American values’ in Europe: State Department funding for MAGA-aligned groups sparks debate
This development highlights the Trump administration's willingness to export its ideological battles, potentially straining transatlantic ties while energizing populist movements
In a move that underscores the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to promoting free speech and countering what it perceives as European censorship, the US State Department is preparing to fund MAGA-aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe.
According to a recent report by the Financial Times, this initiative aims to disseminate Washington’s policy positions and challenge laws seen as threats to free expression, tying into celebrations for the 250th anniversary of US independence. Senior State Department official Sarah Rogers, the Under-Secretary for Public Diplomacy, played a central role in laying the groundwork during her December “freedom of speech tour” through London, Paris, Rome, and Milan.
The FT details how Rogers met with influential right-wing think-tanks and discussed funding opportunities with key figures in Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party.
“The funding is likely to focus on initiatives in London, Paris, Berlin, and Brussels,” the report states, targeting regulations like the UK’s Online Safety Act and the EU’s Digital Services Act, which the administration views as “fundamentally American-targeted regulatory schemes” that undermine free speech and US tech interests. A US official described the program as “a twist on previous State Department projects, aimed at advancing US interests abroad.”
Rogers, known for her criticism of European online safety laws, echoed this in a London speech hosted by the right-wing Prosperity Institute: “It is clear that the average Brit wants to be a free person, wants to live in a free country . . . the results that Reform UK is getting are proof positive that the British public is not content with this regime.” She further expressed her intent to help the UK “win back its right to free speech.”
This funding push is not isolated but part of a broader ideological framework articulated in the Trump administration’s foreign policy. It aligns closely with Vice President JD Vance’s landmark speech at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, where he lambasted European leaders for eroding democratic norms through censorship and suppression of dissent.
Vance’s rhetoric received confirmation with the administration’s new foreign policy doctrine, outlined in the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) and the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS). The NSS emphasizes an “America First” approach, conditioning alliances on democratic principles like free speech and burden-sharing, while promoting “genuine democracy, freedom of expression, and unapologetic celebrations of European nations’ individual character and history.” It highlights concerns over Europe’s “censorship and suppression of political opposition,” viewing these as contributors to “civilizational decline” alongside migration and low birthrates. The document optimistically notes the rise of “patriotic European parties” as a means to revive national identities and calls for “cultivating resistance” to Europe’s current path.
The FT report notes potential recipients view the funding as a “state department slush fund to get Maga-style things going,” with one Reform UK figure telling Rogers the US is “on a crusade to save Europe.” However, concerns abound: Center-left governments, like the UK’s Labour party, may see it as interference, and even within Reform UK, there’s wariness due to Trump’s low popularity in Europe. A State Department spokesperson defended the initiative as “a transparent, lawful use of resources to advance US interests and values abroad.”
With the FT, edited by g.g.
Caption: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (C) and by-election candidate Matt Goodwin (R) speak to members of the media during an election campaign event in campaign in Manchester, Britain, 05 February 2026. A by-election will be held on 26 February in the constituency of Gorton and Denton after the sitting MP, Andrew Gwynne, resigned. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
Updated: February 9, 2026 - 07:45
