The United States is redirecting its foreign policy funding program to export MAGA ideology to Europe, and a growing number of far-right and conservative think tanks and political groups are lining up to take money from Washington.
This is reported by the Brussels-based portal Politico, stating that US State Department officials discussed state funding with representatives of the new French think tank Western Arc, which supports MAGA, and the British organization Free Speech Union.
These contacts followed a list provided to US officials by the Heritage Foundation in Washington, which listed groups that the think tank, which is close to the MAGA movement, described as "like-minded", according to Politika.
Other far-right and conservative organizations in Italy and Brussels told the portal that they would also be interested in the support of the US administration, which they see as an ally.
Representatives of ten European think tanks and public policy organizations affiliated with the far right spoke to Politiko about an increasingly powerful network of ideologically close organizations that has rapidly professionalized in recent years and is seeking to establish cooperation with similar groups across the Atlantic.
Politico writes that with Donald Trump's second term, European nationalists and hardline conservatives have gained an ally at the head of the world's largest economic and military power, and that groups on both sides of the Atlantic want to seize the moment. Their ambition, it is said, is to repurpose America's "soft power" instruments, once used to spread liberalism, to expand their influence and ultimately reshape the West to their own liking - a project that both sides call an "alliance of civilizations."
French connection
Nicolas Conquer, former media director of Republicans Abroad France, launched Western Arc, a think tank in Paris in December that describes itself as inspired by the MAGA movement. Conquer, a French-American citizen, said he has spoken with several State Department officials about specific projects that could receive funding.
Western Arc promises to connect "ideas, people, and projects" across the Atlantic to "organize the renewal of Western civilization." Its mission largely aligns with the language of the US National Security Strategy as well as an earlier essay by Samuel Samson, a senior advisor at the State Department.
Konker said that in recent months he has been in contact with Samson and other State Department officials, with whom he is discussing projects of mutual interest.
"This logic of project-based financing, in my opinion, is very sound," said Konker.
A State Department spokesperson responded to a question from Politika about American funding of European organizations: "This is a transparent and lawful use of funds to advance American interests and values abroad."
Samson made headlines last year when he suggested using US taxpayer money to support far-right leader Marine Le Pen. In May, he traveled to European capitals to meet with NGOs and civil society groups.
State Department officials approached the Heritage Foundation in the second half of last year to ask which organizations in Europe would be suitable for funding, said Paul McCarthy, a senior research associate at the foundation.
"We proposed some institutions, just a few names of organizations, in late summer, early fall. And maybe that served as a basis," he said.
The ambition of European nationalists and hardline conservatives is to repurpose American soft power instruments, once used to spread liberalism, to expand their influence and ultimately reshape the West to their own liking - a project both sides call an "alliance of civilizations."
The amount discussed at the time was "negligible." This was before the US National Security Strategy outlined a policy of strengthening resistance in Europe and empowering organizations that oppose leftist "censorship" and migration policies that were said to be "changing the continent and divisive."
McCarthy said that, after such an approach was "stamped" in the National Security Strategy, the whole story has now gained momentum, noting that he has no insight into the State Department's latest plans.
The Financial Times reported last week that Undersecretary of State Sarah Rogers is pushing a program of funding for think tanks and institutes, with a focus on London, Brussels, Paris and Berlin. She met with Toby Young, a British political commentator and founder of the Free Speech Union, in December.
"We have discussed the possibility of the State Department funding some of the FSU's sister organizations in other parts of the world, but not the organization I lead," Young said. Britain's Free Speech Union is affiliated with similar organizations in Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand, suggesting that Washington's plans may not be limited to Europe.
Rogers said on Monday that the Trump administration would fund projects to promote free speech in Western countries allied with Washington. She made the remarks during a visit to Europe aimed at opposing European regulations that US officials have called censorship, Reuters reported.
U.S. officials have strongly opposed online rules like the European Digital Services Act and the British Cybersecurity Act, which Washington says stifle free speech and impose burdensome obligations on American technology companies. But proponents of the rules say they are aimed at curbing hate speech, misinformation and disinformation online.
Rogers, who has become one of the key figures in this initiative, said in Budapest that her department "will be open and transparent" and emphasized that she can direct American funds through grants, which she wants to use to promote freedom of speech in Western allied democracies.
American tradition
"Politiko" writes that financing European institutions from the US budget is not a new phenomenon and recalls that during the post-war period, Washington supported projects that promoted democratic ideals and American-style liberalism. It states that Radio Free Europe has been broadcasting messages of capitalist freedom to Eastern Europe since the 1950s, at the expense of American taxpayers.
Such support, along with funding from American philanthropic foundations, helped strengthen numerous European think tanks and organizations based on liberal values. Many developed into tightly networked public policy centers that acted as a kind of unofficial administration, preparing reports and draft laws that were later turned into ministerial decisions, writes "Politiko", noting that the right has noticed this model.
"The right used to be extremely unprofessional, disjointed and so focused on its own national issues that it was difficult for it to see beyond that," said John O'Brien, communications director at MCC Brussels, a think tank funded by a private educational institute in Hungary close to the government of Viktor Orban.
That, he said, has changed rapidly. Although, unlike many progressive institutions, the right has yet to establish even a WhatsApp coordination group — “if there is one, we are not part of it,” O’Brien said — right-wing operatives and ideologues regularly meet at large gatherings like CPAC and the NatCon summit.
They also invite each other to co-organize rallies or participate in events as panelists. On the American side, the Heritage Foundation - the author of Trump's "Project 2025" plan for government reorganization - is a frequent guest of the European right.
McCarthy of the Heritage Foundation was speaking at a panel in Rome on Tuesday, co-hosted with the Machiavelli Foundation. He said Heritage is strengthening ties with European groups through joint summits and research projects. They aim, he said, to counter "European federalism" and "the madness of the green transition," while promoting a vision of the family that excludes same-sex couples and transgender rights, and encourages birthrates.
Cooperation among such organizations is "growing," said Machiavelli Foundation President Daniele Scalea.
The center lists on its website formal partnerships or signed memoranda with a number of other right-wing organizations, including the Heritage Foundation, the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, the Hungarian Oeconomus Foundation for Economic Research, and the Center for Fundamental Rights, which organizes CPAC.
"But it's above all a friendship," he said. "Because we have common missions, we share values and a similar vision of the future… We are not formally connected, we have no institutional ties, we don't exchange money or resources… We just cooperate because it's more efficient for everyone."
The Heritage Foundation is strengthening ties with European groups through joint summits and research projects. They aim to oppose "European federalism" and the "green transition madness", while promoting a vision of the family that excludes same-sex couples and trans rights, and encouraging birth rates.
Scalea added that his institute has "a lot of common ground with the Trump administration." So far, he has not received a direct signal from the US government about possible funding for organizations like his, but he said he would consider any offer.
"European independence"
Trump's further tightening of relations between Europe and the US, including pressure on Denmark to cede control of Greenland, has put many right-wing groups in an awkward position - between defending European sovereignty and preserving an ideological alliance with the White House, writes Politico.
At the same time, he says, calls for "European independence," such as those made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, have opened up space for the right to present itself as a true defender of the Western alliance.
"It is very important, especially at this moment, to preserve unity within the Western world," said Francesco Giubilei, president of Nazionale Futura, an Italian think tank that collaborates with the Heritage Foundation.
"It's not easy. We understand that Trump's views sometimes differ from those of Europe. But we believe that if there is a rift between the US and Europe now, we would be doing China and Russia a favor."
Some of the organizations contacted by Politiko said they were not interested in foreign government money. But where European laws prohibit direct funding of political parties from abroad, some actors are seeking other forms of cooperation.
Gerald Otten, a member of parliament for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), traveled to Washington in January as part of a delegation from the German Bundestag. Before the visit, the US embassy invited him to discuss possible joint cooperation. AfD officials are also planning a trip to the US in March for an event billed as a "counter-Davos" organized by Republican Congresswoman Anna Pauline Luna.
Scalea of the Machiavelli Foundation said that Trump's presence in the White House gives European groups a sense that they are no longer on the margins.
"We have an ally, a strong voice," he said. "It's no longer just a conspiracy theory when we say that mass migration weakens our countries, but the leader of our alliance is saying it. That, obviously, works in our favor."
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