Millions of US tax dollars are being diverted to rightwing thinktanks across Europe, a move that contradicts President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda, according to a recent report. The US state department intends to grant $12m to conservative organisations in the UK, with $7m going to a group called 878, co-founded by former Conservative minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, whose net worth is estimated at over £100m.
This funding comes after Trump ordered the closure of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in February 2025, framing it as a waste of taxpayer money on overseas projects. However, the new grants suggest that funds are still being spent abroad, but now on groups that align with Trump's political philosophy.
Grants to European Groups
The state department is also offering grants to European groups to develop "civilizational self-confidence in Europe" and address issues like national sovereignty, migration, censorship, and lawfare, in line with a shared political philosophy. These calls for proposals are seen as a way to influence foreign politics, with a former US official telling the Guardian that normal funding processes are being subverted to support Trump-aligned causes.
The US embassy in London is additionally offering grants of up to $500,000 for "public education" programmes that foster a "national conversation" about "shared civilizational values" between the UK and US. A recently departed state department official described this as an attempt to "create UK-originated narratives to support Maga propaganda".
Reactions and Concerns
Zsuzsanna Végh, a researcher in liberal democracy, told the i Paper that the funding calls follow a long period of networking among Maga and like-minded European actors, which has facilitated the identification of possible recipients. German chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned Trump's administration against interfering in German elections following the grants.
Lisa Smart, a Liberal Democrat MP, accused Trump's Maga money of "meddling in our democracy". The average Trump voter, promised an America First agenda, may be unaware of these grants, as they are distracted by other issues, according to the article.
Impact and Broader Context
The $12m is relatively small compared to other expenditures, such as $37.5bn spent on the war with Iran, but it signals a coordinated effort to transnationalise the hard right. The new US national security strategy, released in December, stated that Europe faced "civilizational erasure" and that US policies must include "cultivating resistance to Europe's current trajectory within European nations".
This strategy is supported by direct endorsements, such as Elon Musk amplifying rightwing populist movements and Kristi Noem, then homeland security secretary, calling for Karol Nawrocki to be president of Poland at the CPAC conference in Warsaw. CPAC has expanded internationally, with its first conference in Tokyo in 2017, and the inaugural CPAC GB was spearheaded by former UK prime minister Liz Truss.
However, the hard right may have overreached by focusing on global issues while US voters face domestic challenges like rising costs. A Politico poll found that only a third of Trump's Maga base thought the war in Iran was worth the cost, down from half in May. Influential supporters like podcaster Joe Rogan have turned on the president over Iran.
Trump has dismissed cost-of-living concerns, but as the article notes, the average Trump voter may not know about the grants, yet it is becoming clearer that they are being put last.
