World

US Offers Up to $3 Million to MAGA-Aligned Groups in Europe as Germany Warns Against Interference

Herz — World Desk · 15 July 2026 at 19:35 · 30s summary · 4 min read

The essentials

On July 15, 2026, the U.S. State Department announced a grants program offering up to $3 million per award to European organizations and individuals aligned with the MAGA movement. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned against American interference in Germany's regional elections scheduled for September 2026. The program is administered by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), an agency originally founded under President Carter to promote democracy and human rights, now redirected by the Trump administration. Former U.S. officials describe the initiative as an effort to give far-right European groups an "unfair advantage."

Washington offers up to $3 million per grant to MAGA-aligned causes in Europe.
Merz warns against U.S. interference in Germany's September 2026 elections.
The program is run by the DRL, originally founded by Carter, now redirected by Trump.
Former officials say the initiative aims to give European far-right groups an unfair advantage.
Eligibility criteria remain unclear: individuals and government institutions mentioned without specifics.

Washington propose jusqu'à 3 millions de dollars à des causes MAGA en Europe, Berlin s'y oppose — BellevueLove, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

What We Know

On July 15, 2026, the U.S. State Department announced a grants program offering up to $3 million—approximately £2.2 million—per award to European charities, think tanks, and individuals whose causes align with the MAGA movement, The Guardian reports.

Titled "Developing Civilizational Bonds, Democratic Resilience, and Rule of Law in Europe," the program is run by the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL)—a bureau established under President Jimmy Carter during the Cold War to support democracy against authoritarian regimes, now radically redirected by the Trump administration.

Applicants must address "challenges of national sovereignty, migration, censorship, and lawfare"—weaponized legal tactics used against political opponents—"in accordance with a shared political philosophy, law, and common Western civilizational heritage."

Germany's Response

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned at his annual summer press conference in Berlin on July 15, 2026, that he does not want the U.S. government or institutions close to it to interfere in German elections.

For our part, we do not interfere in American elections.
— Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor, Berlin, July 15, 2026

Regional elections are scheduled for September 2026 in Germany. Financing political parties from abroad is prohibited by law, putting the U.S. program at direct odds with German electoral law.

Months of Effort, According to Former Officials

Former U.S. officials describe the program as the culmination of months of effort by the State Department to redirect public funds toward far-right groups and potentially political parties across Europe to give them an "unfair advantage."

Potential recipients include the Free Speech Union, a British free speech advocacy organization founded by journalist Toby Young, and other groups that have lost funding. A former State Department official calls the eligibility criteria "ambiguous," noting that "individuals" and "government institutions" are mentioned without further specification.

Context: A Cold War Agency Redirected

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) was originally tasked with countering authoritarian regimes and promoting human rights worldwide. Under the Trump administration, it now funds nationalist and conservative causes in Europe—a reversal of its historical mission.

In December 2025, a new U.S. national security strategy stated that Europe faces "civilizational erosion" and praised the rising influence of "patriotic European parties."

Sarah B Rogers, a public face of the State Department's hostility toward European liberal democracies, announced a $500,000 grant for "promoting digital freedom" during a visit to Ireland in early 2026 and attended as a guest speaker at the British Prosperity Institute. Last month, a senior U.S. official claimed at a conference in London that British police conducted thousands of arrests related to "free speech"—claims the British government rejected.