The US is offering millions to European right-wing parties and civil society organizations: the program is linked to MAGA.

The US State Department announced the launch of a program to fund projects in Europe focused on the MAGA agenda, writes The GuardianThe State Department claims that the funds will go exclusively to supporting human rights initiatives, not political parties.

The funds are intended to be directed to those who seek to “address issues of national sovereignty, migration, censorship and abuse of legal mechanisms” in accordance with “shared political philosophy, legal principles and our common Western civilizational heritage.”

Concerns are growing in Berlin that the United States is attempting to directly influence European politics. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that he does not want to see interference in the country's state elections scheduled for September.

"For our part, we do not interfere in American elections," he said on July 15. "And I do not want the American government or structures close to it to interfere in the elections in Germany."

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Merz's statement came in response to Washington's initiative, which provides grants of up to $3 million for European political organizations.

Former US officials say the grant program is part of a broader State Department campaign that has been ongoing for months to divert government funds to support far-right groups and possibly political parties in Europe.

However, as one former State Department official noted, the wording regarding who exactly can apply for funding remains vague. The announcement states that "individuals" and "government entities" (that's how it's worded) can apply, but without specifying which categories fall under these definitions.

It was previously reported that under Trump, the State Department is considering funding European political parties, but this could be hampered by US foreign aid laws. Merz specifically emphasized that foreign funding of political parties is prohibited by law in Germany.

"It appears that the State Department is trying to tip the balance of European elections in favor of right-wing parties by giving them additional funding," the former US official said.

The initiative emerged after a series of harsh statements from US officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, against traditional allies in Western Europe on issues such as migration, abortion, and regulation of online space.

State Department officials are actively establishing contacts with European social-conservative organizations and far-right parties.

In December, the new US national security strategy claimed that Europe was facing "civilizational erasure" and praised the influence of "patriotic European parties" – an obvious reference to populist movements.

Last month, the UK government rejected claims by a senior State Department official at a right-wing conservative conference in London that British police were carrying out thousands of arrests for speech.

These assertions were voiced by Sarah B. Rogers, who has become one of the State Department's public spokespersons for its hard line on European liberal democracies. She previously participated in events for organizations such as the British think tank Prosperity Institute, which advocates for economic libertarianism and social conservatism.

Earlier this year, Rogers pledged $500 to "advance digital freedom" during a visit to Ireland.

The publication sent a request to the Prosperity Institute asking whether the organization plans to apply for the State Department's grant program, "Developing Civilizational Ties, Resilient Democracies, and the Rule of Law in Europe."

The funds are distributed by a State Department division, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. It was created under President Jimmy Carter as a tool of US foreign policy during the Cold War to counter Soviet and right-wing authoritarian regimes, but its functions have been reoriented under the Trump administration.

Potential recipients of funding in Europe include the British organization Free Speech Union, which actively promotes issues that have become emblematic of the conservative agenda, as well as organizations that lost support after Viktor Orbán left power in Hungary.

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A State Department spokesperson stated: "The Trump Administration remains committed to defending democracy and human rights around the world, including in Europe. Our programs in Europe are designed to support European allies in defending these rights and principles, as well as their civilizational confidence and sovereignty, from those who seek to undermine them. As we have repeatedly stated, our programs in Europe are focused solely on supporting human rights. These funds are not intended for political parties."

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