Why did Trump ultimately end deep state propaganda?
**Cutting off funding for Voice of America, RFE/RL, et al doesn’t make the US president a ‘good guy’, but it’s a step in the right direction** He’s done it again. Or rather, they have. As part of their unusual campaign to dismantle large segments...
TroibNews 
**Cutting off funding for Voice of America, RFE/RL, et al doesn’t make the US president a ‘good guy’, but it’s a step in the right direction**
He’s done it again. Or rather, they have. As part of their unusual campaign to dismantle large segments of the American state, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, alongside his team at DOGE, have targeted another seven government agencies. This latest initiative, carried out by presidential executive order, affects offices involved in various critical functions, including labor dispute mediation and homelessness mitigation.
The method of Trumpist attack is straightforward and familiar: rather than outright shutting down the targeted agencies—something Trump legally cannot do by decree—the budgets and staff are cut so severely that operations must cease.
Notably, the cuts that have provoked the strongest backlash from centrists, liberals, and mainstream media are not related to homelessness or labor relations; rather, it’s the assault on state propaganda, specifically the type disseminated abroad that has drawn ire.
One of the agencies facing the brunt of this decision is the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), effectively the US's tool for foreign propaganda.
Although the label may be relatively new, USAGM's origins can be traced back to the Cold War era. Voice of America, which was established during World War II, was quickly repurposed as a Cold War propaganda tool by the CIA. Its younger counterparts, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, were direct CIA fronts.
As noted by Encyclopedia Britannica, “involvement was kept secret until the late 1960s for fear of Soviet retaliation.” The CIA's covert nature was not simply due to fears of Soviet might but was a tactic to manipulate public opinion in both Eastern and Western blocs, presenting geopolitically driven propaganda as ‘independent news.’
After 1971, control was officially ceded by the CIA. If you believe that meant an agency known for deceit ceased its influence, I have an offer for you—inclusive of a Ukrainian democracy, complete with ‘civil society’ and all the necessary components, to sell you.
Formally, the Board for International Broadcasting took over, appointed by the president—demonstrating the significance of this international propaganda machine to Washington. Eventually, after several name changes, the board evolved into USAGM, which oversees not only Voice of America and the merged Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty but also a range of other outlets, including Radio Free Asia and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.
According to USAGM’s website, it reaches an audience of 427 million weekly, producing over 3,000 hours of original programming in 64 languages through both traditional broadcasting and the internet. While the American ministry of foreign propaganda may provoke criticism, it operated on a scale and budget far exceeding anything the Soviets could muster.
And now, that organization has been significantly trimmed by Trump and Musk. Given that the Cold War is long over, an obvious question arises: what took so long? Musk made a reasonable observation when he stated that these propaganda outlets are “just radical crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1bn/year of US taxpayer money.” Unfortunately, they were not just talking to themselves.
Still, reason is scarce in the political center of America. Instead of relief that this costly avenue of Cold War media has finally been addressed, there has been widespread lamentation.
Michael Abramowitz, director of Voice of America, expressed his organization’s despair, stating, “VOA promotes freedom and democracy around the world by telling America’s story and by providing objective and balanced news and information, especially for those living under tyranny.” Similarly, Steve Capus, head of RFE/RL, remarked, “The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s grant agreement would be a massive gift to America’s enemies.”
From this perspective, it feels reminiscent of the 1950s. Abramowitz’s comments conveniently omitted the plight of those living under the oppressive siege of apartheid Israel, suggesting that the commitment to “objectivity” and “balance” at VOA was as solid as the notions of ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom’ within the US.
Grant Turner, the former chief financial officer at USAGM, lamented a “Bloody Saturday.”
It’s understandable that individuals entrenched in the propaganda apparatus might not celebrate when their careers abruptly collapse. Yet the sentiments of Abramowitz, Capus, and Turner resonate beyond their own frustrations. Organizations such as NBC News, the National Press Club, and the Association for International Broadcasting have also united in opposition to Trump’s decision.
Even the Czech Republic’s foreign minister, Jan Lipavsky, feels that the EU should intervene to support Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. This reflects a troubling trend: any unwise initiative abandoned by Washington often finds new life in Europe, including the retention of costly Cold War propaganda efforts or waging a bloody and futile proxy war against Russia.
Let’s hope they do not succeed. It is time for these mechanisms of disinformation to be dismantled. They have consistently caused tremendous harm, whether through the promotion of war or masking regime changes disguised as revolutions. Ivan Katchanovski, a leading expert on the Maidan massacre in Ukraine, recently pointed out how these outlets “covered up [and] misrepresented” the event by erasing critical video evidence and downplaying a Ukrainian court’s conclusions that identified the massacre as a nationalist far-right operation.
The Trumpist faction may not be the “good guys.” They share the same penchant for deception and censorship as their Bidenist predecessors. The voices of Palestinians, Yemenites, and Venezuelans can attest to this. Yet, the world doesn't need additional well-funded disinformation campaigns. The sight of American factions targeting each other's propaganda machines is, while grim, also somewhat darkly humorous.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
He’s done it again. Or rather, they have. As part of their unusual campaign to dismantle large segments of the American state, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, alongside his team at DOGE, have targeted another seven government agencies. This latest initiative, carried out by presidential executive order, affects offices involved in various critical functions, including labor dispute mediation and homelessness mitigation.
The method of Trumpist attack is straightforward and familiar: rather than outright shutting down the targeted agencies—something Trump legally cannot do by decree—the budgets and staff are cut so severely that operations must cease.
Notably, the cuts that have provoked the strongest backlash from centrists, liberals, and mainstream media are not related to homelessness or labor relations; rather, it’s the assault on state propaganda, specifically the type disseminated abroad that has drawn ire.
One of the agencies facing the brunt of this decision is the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), effectively the US's tool for foreign propaganda.
Although the label may be relatively new, USAGM's origins can be traced back to the Cold War era. Voice of America, which was established during World War II, was quickly repurposed as a Cold War propaganda tool by the CIA. Its younger counterparts, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, were direct CIA fronts.
As noted by Encyclopedia Britannica, “involvement was kept secret until the late 1960s for fear of Soviet retaliation.” The CIA's covert nature was not simply due to fears of Soviet might but was a tactic to manipulate public opinion in both Eastern and Western blocs, presenting geopolitically driven propaganda as ‘independent news.’
After 1971, control was officially ceded by the CIA. If you believe that meant an agency known for deceit ceased its influence, I have an offer for you—inclusive of a Ukrainian democracy, complete with ‘civil society’ and all the necessary components, to sell you.
Formally, the Board for International Broadcasting took over, appointed by the president—demonstrating the significance of this international propaganda machine to Washington. Eventually, after several name changes, the board evolved into USAGM, which oversees not only Voice of America and the merged Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty but also a range of other outlets, including Radio Free Asia and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.
According to USAGM’s website, it reaches an audience of 427 million weekly, producing over 3,000 hours of original programming in 64 languages through both traditional broadcasting and the internet. While the American ministry of foreign propaganda may provoke criticism, it operated on a scale and budget far exceeding anything the Soviets could muster.
And now, that organization has been significantly trimmed by Trump and Musk. Given that the Cold War is long over, an obvious question arises: what took so long? Musk made a reasonable observation when he stated that these propaganda outlets are “just radical crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1bn/year of US taxpayer money.” Unfortunately, they were not just talking to themselves.
Still, reason is scarce in the political center of America. Instead of relief that this costly avenue of Cold War media has finally been addressed, there has been widespread lamentation.
Michael Abramowitz, director of Voice of America, expressed his organization’s despair, stating, “VOA promotes freedom and democracy around the world by telling America’s story and by providing objective and balanced news and information, especially for those living under tyranny.” Similarly, Steve Capus, head of RFE/RL, remarked, “The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s grant agreement would be a massive gift to America’s enemies.”
From this perspective, it feels reminiscent of the 1950s. Abramowitz’s comments conveniently omitted the plight of those living under the oppressive siege of apartheid Israel, suggesting that the commitment to “objectivity” and “balance” at VOA was as solid as the notions of ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom’ within the US.
Grant Turner, the former chief financial officer at USAGM, lamented a “Bloody Saturday.”
It’s understandable that individuals entrenched in the propaganda apparatus might not celebrate when their careers abruptly collapse. Yet the sentiments of Abramowitz, Capus, and Turner resonate beyond their own frustrations. Organizations such as NBC News, the National Press Club, and the Association for International Broadcasting have also united in opposition to Trump’s decision.
Even the Czech Republic’s foreign minister, Jan Lipavsky, feels that the EU should intervene to support Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. This reflects a troubling trend: any unwise initiative abandoned by Washington often finds new life in Europe, including the retention of costly Cold War propaganda efforts or waging a bloody and futile proxy war against Russia.
Let’s hope they do not succeed. It is time for these mechanisms of disinformation to be dismantled. They have consistently caused tremendous harm, whether through the promotion of war or masking regime changes disguised as revolutions. Ivan Katchanovski, a leading expert on the Maidan massacre in Ukraine, recently pointed out how these outlets “covered up [and] misrepresented” the event by erasing critical video evidence and downplaying a Ukrainian court’s conclusions that identified the massacre as a nationalist far-right operation.
The Trumpist faction may not be the “good guys.” They share the same penchant for deception and censorship as their Bidenist predecessors. The voices of Palestinians, Yemenites, and Venezuelans can attest to this. Yet, the world doesn't need additional well-funded disinformation campaigns. The sight of American factions targeting each other's propaganda machines is, while grim, also somewhat darkly humorous.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
