David Vance SubstackRead More
I fully support the decision of the Trump administration to put a permanent stop to the Voice of America and rest of the USAGM circus!
On March 14, Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), VOA’s parent organisation, along with six other federal agencies, to reduce their operations to the minimum required by law.
This has led to over 1,300 VOA employees being placed on administrative leave the following day and the termination of funding for related broadcasters like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia, severely curtailing VOA’s ability to function.
Kari Lake was quick to realise how IMPORTANT it was to close down USAGM. Just another corrupt media scam. Listen to what she has to say.
Trump’s long-standing criticism of VOA is as a platform profoundly biased against him and his agenda for the USA. During his first term, Trump accused VOA of promoting foreign propaganda, notably in 2020 when he criticised its coverage of China’s COVID-19 response as insufficiently pro-American.
The White House statement accompanying the recent order labeled VOA the “voice of radical America,” alleging it harboured a “leftist” bias.
The executive order also reflects input from advisers like Elon Musk, who has publicly advocated for shutting down VOA, arguing it wastes taxpayer money—estimated at over $1 billion annually for USAGM—on outdated or ideologically misaligned efforts. Musk and other Trump allies, including those tied to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), see VOA as an inefficient relic, with Musk claiming “nobody listens to them anymore”
Politically, this closure aligns with Trump’s strategy to consolidate control over America’s international image. By appointing loyalists like Lake—who has emphasised broadcasting “the policies of the Trump administration”—Trump is hoping to reshape or eliminate platforms that oppose his narrative.
Now critics, including VOA Director Michael Abramowitz, argue that this move undermines U.S. soft power, silencing a broadcaster that since 1942 has countered authoritarian propaganda and promoted democratic values to hundreds of millions worldwide. But that’s just such much pious claptrap. Like NATO, VOA has long since outlived its usefulness, if it ever had any.
Silencing the Voice of Radical America is another good move by Trump.
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