FT: US to fund MAGA-linked think tanks in Europe to combat 'censorship'

The US State Department intends to initiate a program of financial support for European think tanks and charitable organizations that share the ideology of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, the political slogan of the US President Donald Trump. This was reported by the newspaper Financial Times citing sources in the circles of American officials and diplomats.

According to the sources, the funding is timed to coincide with the celebration of the 250th anniversary of US independence. The initiative is driven by the State Department's intention to "spread Washington's political positions throughout Europe" and "combat perceived threats to freedom of speech."

The program will focus on initiatives in London, Paris, Berlin, and Brussels. The key task is to counteract European laws on content regulation. This applies, in particular, to the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) and the European Digital Services Act (DSA), which the Trump administration considers a threat to American tech giants.

The project is curated by US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers. In December 2025, she visited London, Paris, Rome, and Milan as part of her "freedom of speech tour." During her travels, the publication notes, she "clearly expressed her opposition to Washington's internet security laws."

The official met with representatives of think tanks and key figures of Nigel Farage's populist party Reform UK. They allegedly discussed the allocation of funds to spread American values, three sources told the FT.

The U.S. initiative is causing concern among Washington's longtime allies, including the British Labor government. At the same time, even Reform UK expresses caution about receiving American money. Trump's popularity in Britain extremely low: 81% have a negative attitude towards him). Therefore, politicians are afraid of toxic associations, the FT notes.

"The US administration is on a crusade to save Europe. They have a real soft spot for the UK, but they feel it is under threat from the dark forces that are spreading across Europe," a Reform UK official who discussed the plans with Rogers told the publication.

Another Reform UK official said that Rogers "had a secret State Department fund to run MAGA projects in different places." The source added that she "sought to fund European organizations to undermine government policy."

According to the US official, this program "is a variation on previous State Department projects that have targeted funding to specific foreign targets." He says it will "likely focus on initiatives based in London, Paris, Berlin, and Brussels."

A State Department spokeswoman characterized the funding as "a transparent, legitimate use of resources to advance U.S. interests and values abroad" and said that characterizing it as a "secret fund" was "completely false."

• In August 2025 it became known the US Department of State has reported that the Trump administration is considering sanctions against EU officials or individual member states responsible for implementing the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). Washington noted that this law restricts the freedom of speech of Americans and creates additional costs for US technology companies.
• In December, the State Department announced a ban on entry to the United States five Europeans, led by former European Commissioner for Digital Affairs Thierry Breton, who were accused in Washington of putting pressure on American technology companies.