Germany’s Merz Warns US Against Election Meddling via MAGA-Linked Funding Initiative

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has cautioned the U.S. government against attempting to influence Germany’s upcoming state elections amid a new U.S. State Department program offering up to $3 million to European entities aligned with MAGA ideology.

The initiative, announced as part of the Trump administration’s foreign policy strategy, aims to fund charities, thinktanks, and individuals supporting “national sovereignty, migration, censorship, and lawfare challenges” rooted in shared Western values. Critics argue the vague eligibility criteria risk enabling indirect political interference in European democracies.

Merz emphasized Germany’s legal prohibitions on foreign political financing during a press conference, stating, “We do not interfere in American elections, and we do not want the American government or affiliated institutions to interfere in German elections.”

Former U.S. officials suggest the program reflects a months-long effort to redirect federal resources toward far-right groups, potentially bolstering populist movements in Europe. The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, originally established to counter authoritarianism during the Cold War, is overseeing the grants.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and other officials have previously criticized European policies on migration and free speech, aligning with rhetoric from domestic conservative groups. Sarah B. Rogers, a prominent State Department spokesperson, has been linked to U.S. efforts to support European social conservative organizations, including a $500,000 pledge for “digital freedom” in Ireland.

The program’s focus on “civilizational self-confidence” and “sovereignty” echoes themes in the Trump administration’s revised national security strategy, which recently described Europe as facing “civilizational erasure” amid the rise of “patriotic” parties. However, the State Department maintains the grants are strictly nonpartisan and intended to uphold democratic principles.

Potential beneficiaries include groups like the U.K.’s Free Speech Union and organizations previously backed by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, though some European governments have expressed skepticism about the program’s neutrality.

The initiative contrasts sharply with historical tensions between the U.S. and European allies, raising questions about the long-term implications of this ideological realignment for transatlantic relations.

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