Trump tells Republicans to ‘kill' top US state media outlet
US President Donald Trump has called on Republicans to support his campaign to dismantle the state-funded news outlet Voice of America (VOA).
Launched in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda during World War II, the broadcaster later served as a key vehicle for pro-American messaging during the Cold War.
Trump has argued, however, that VOA has in recent decades veered toward partisanship, and vowed to shut it down as part of his broader push to eliminate wasteful government spending.
'Why would a Republican want Democrat 'mouthpiece' Voice of America (VOA) to continue? It's a TOTAL, LEFTWING DISASTER — No Republican should vote for its survival. KILL IT!' the president wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.
Earlier that day, Trump's senior adviser Kari Lake told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, was 'rotten to the core' and should be reshaped to align with Trump's 'America First' agenda.
Committee Chairman Brian Mast described USAGM as 'a cesspool of spies, lies, and mismanagement' that 'has promoted the very propaganda it was created to defeat.' He accused the agency of hiring foreign nationals, many of whom he said were 'quite literally, security risks.'
Lake, who has been tasked by Trump with overseeing the dismantling of the agency, said last week that nearly 640 full-time staffers and more than 500 contractors had been laid off at USAGM and VOA.
Democrats and press freedom advocates have criticized the move. 'The wholesale destruction of public media outlets like Voice of America represents an unprecedented gift from Trump to the dictatorial censorship regimes in countries like China and Iran,' said Clayton Weimers, executive director of Reporters Without Borders USA.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
an hour ago
- Russia Today
NATO commits to doubling military budgets: As it happened
NATO leaders have agreed to a massive spike in defense spending, overcoming internal divisions and relegating Ukraine to a secondary agenda item to finalize a historic pact that will double members' military budgets. At a short summit in The Hague, the US-led military bloc committed to raising defense expenditures to 5% of member GDP by 2035, a dramatic escalation from the current 2% target. US President Donald Trump hailed the agreement as a 'monumental win,' having pressured European members to 'pay their share' since the first term. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte framed the spending surge as building an alliance that is 'stronger, fairer, and more lethal', a mantra he has championed since June 2025 as NATO's new strategic doctrine. Rutte has been doubling down on flattery, privately texting Trump praise for his 'decisive action' by attacking Iran and crediting him for NATO's historic 5% defense spending target increase. During the summit the NATO chief then likened the US president to a 'daddy' using 'strong language,' defending Trump's recent on-camera f-bomb about Iran and Israel. In an unusually short five-paragraph statement NATO leaders cited undefined 'long-term threats' from Russia while Ukraine was only mentioned in one sentence. Ukrainian Leader Vladimir Zelensky was confined to a pre-summit dinner, excluded from key meetings, and granted a sidelined conversation with Trump, who stated that ceasefire talks were 'not on the agenda'. This live stream has ended.
Russia Today
9 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump tells Republicans to ‘kill' top US state media outlet
US President Donald Trump has called on Republicans to support his campaign to dismantle the state-funded news outlet Voice of America (VOA). Launched in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda during World War II, the broadcaster later served as a key vehicle for pro-American messaging during the Cold War. Trump has argued, however, that VOA has in recent decades veered toward partisanship, and vowed to shut it down as part of his broader push to eliminate wasteful government spending. 'Why would a Republican want Democrat 'mouthpiece' Voice of America (VOA) to continue? It's a TOTAL, LEFTWING DISASTER — No Republican should vote for its survival. KILL IT!' the president wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday. Earlier that day, Trump's senior adviser Kari Lake told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, was 'rotten to the core' and should be reshaped to align with Trump's 'America First' agenda. Committee Chairman Brian Mast described USAGM as 'a cesspool of spies, lies, and mismanagement' that 'has promoted the very propaganda it was created to defeat.' He accused the agency of hiring foreign nationals, many of whom he said were 'quite literally, security risks.' Lake, who has been tasked by Trump with overseeing the dismantling of the agency, said last week that nearly 640 full-time staffers and more than 500 contractors had been laid off at USAGM and VOA. Democrats and press freedom advocates have criticized the move. 'The wholesale destruction of public media outlets like Voice of America represents an unprecedented gift from Trump to the dictatorial censorship regimes in countries like China and Iran,' said Clayton Weimers, executive director of Reporters Without Borders USA.
Russia Today
11 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump to consider future Ukraine aid
US President Donald Trump says he will think about whether or not to supply more Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, as Kiev has been requesting. Speaking at a press conference in The Hague after meeting with Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Trump was asked by a BBC Ukraine journalist whether Washington would be providing the missiles. 'The systems are very hard to get,' he replied, adding that the US also needs them. Noting that some Patriots were being sent to Israel, Trump said the administration would 'see if we can make some of them available.' Ahead of the meeting, Zelensky said that Kiev was ready to buy the systems and 'support American weapons manufacturers' if Washington refused to donate them. The Ukrainian leader has previously asserted that the Patriot was the only system that could viably counter Russian missiles. However, Moscow has disputed claims about the Patriot's effectiveness, and even Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yury Ignat acknowledged in an interview with Le Monde last month that the American system has shown critical limitations against Russia's weaponry. As of May, Ukraine reportedly had six operational Patriot systems, most of which were donated by the US and Germany, with additional components provided by the Netherlands and Romania. Zelensky has previously stated that Ukraine aimed to acquire a total of 25 units and urged Kiev's European backers to fund the purchase of another ten at a cost of $15 billion. The Trump administration had dismissed the proposal as a pipedream. When asked directly whether the US would contribute to the $5 billion in military aid pledged to Ukraine by other NATO countries, Trump only told reporters that the hostilities must end. Trump has pushed for a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine conflict since taking office in January, while voicing frustration over the slow pace of peace talks. On Wednesday, he said that he planned to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin in hopes of bringing the conflict to an end, though he did not specify when the conversation might take place. Earlier this week, he said he hoped to reach a 'deal with Russia' to stop the fighting. Moscow has maintained that it is willing to hold talks 'without preconditions,' but insists that any lasting agreement must reflect the current realities on the battlefield and establish Ukrainian neutrality.
