The decision of the Trump administration to suspend nearly all foreign aid payments for a 90-day review period has sparked outrage in the self-proclaimed independent Hungarian opposition media. Political director of the Hungarian prime minister Balázs Orbán shared a post about the decision on X, which also caught the attention of US billionaire Elon Musk.
As Orbán pointed out, one of Hungary’s largest opposition media outlets is upset by Trump’s executive order halting US foreign aid for 90 days, as the so-called independent press stands to lose millions of forints in funding. ‘Makes you wonder how independent one can be when relying on another government’s funding…’ the political director remarked.
Elon Musk, who serves as co-chair of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and is widely regarded as a close adviser to US President Donald Trump, was quick to repost Orbán’s statement, making it go viral. ‘The US radical-left has been using US taxpayer money to fund radical-left political parties & media around the world!’ Musk wrote, echoing Orbán’s concerns.
As reported by Hungarian Conservative, one of Donald Trump’s first executive orders included a 90-day suspension of nearly all US foreign assistance, a measure that was further tightened on Friday when the US State Department announced a complete freeze on such aid. Additionally, Trump ordered dozens of senior officials at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to go on administrative leave for an undefined period. USAID is responsible for allocating a significant portion of US foreign assistance, including funding for so-called democracy-building initiatives and the support of independent media. Over the years, multiple countries have banned USAID operations, accusing the agency of engaging in foreign interference under the guise of providing aid.
Trump’s decision has had a particularly severe impact on Hungarian opposition media outlets and government-critical NGOs—many of which are part of or connected to the network of Hungarian-born American billionaire George Soros. These groups have received substantial grants through USAID programmes and US Embassy-financed tenders under the tenure of David Pressman. While it is unclear which specific outlet Balázs Orbán’s post referred to, the news has been widely covered in Hungarian opposition media, almost exclusively in a negative light.
As Hungarian Conservative previously reported, on the day of Trump’s inauguration the US Embassy in Budapest announced the distribution of nearly 200 million HUF (approximately 400,000 USD) to NGOs and media outlets under the Free Media Tender. These payments are now directly affected by Trump’s executive order, cutting off substantial grants to Hungarian opposition outlets such as 444, Jelen, G7, Magyar Hang, and Transparency International, which have been beneficiaries of the embassy’s funding.
‘Yes, that's right, unfortunately, this project has also been suspended. For the time being, we can only wait—there can be no contract or payment at this stage. We have no further information at the moment,’ confirmed Mérték Media Monitor, one of the organizations involved in the tender’s administration. As part of the suspension of foreign aid, the US Ambassador’s Independent Media Support Fund has also halted its assistance for Hungarian opposition media.
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