Kari Lake Cuts U.S.-Funded Hungarian Outlet, Handing Authoritarian Orbán Win Before Trump Meeting
Kari Lake’s decision to cut funding for Hungary’s U.S.-backed Radio Free Europe branch came just two days before Viktor Orbán’s White House visit,
U.S. slashes funding for Hungary’s Szabad Európa, one of its last independent outlets, days before Orbán’s White House visit as Trump ally Kari Lake dismantles Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, a move watchdogs call “a gift to autocrats.”
Since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025, Washington has steadily reduced funding and support for global free-press and democracy programs. A series of administrative actions — many initiated under Kari Lake, the president’s appointee to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media — have limited the reach of U.S.-funded outlets in regions where independent journalism is already restricted.
Cuts to Voice of America, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia — along with freezes on pro-democracy grants and an internal restructuring of the U.S. Agency for Global Media — have reshaped a network once established to serve audiences living under censorship.
Two days before Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with Mr. Trump at the White House, the United States halted funding for Szabad Európa, the Hungarian-language branch of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. In a Nov. 5 letter to Representative Mario Díaz-Balart — released by former Voice of America correspondent Steve Herman and reported by national outlets — Ms. Lake wrote that the service had “undermined President Trump’s foreign policy by opposing the duly elected Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.”
The decision came shortly before Mr. Orbán’s Nov. 7 visit to the White House, which analysts said advanced his long-running effort to weaken one of the few outlets still reporting independently on his government.
Ms. Lake’s confrontational approach to public institutions predates her federal role. After losing Arizona’s 2022 governor’s race, she refused to concede, filed several unsuccessful lawsuits, and was sanctioned over false ballot-count claims, according to court records. She continued to dispute the 2020 and 2022 results, calling President Biden “illegitimate.” Deposition transcripts show she repeated those statements while serving at the agency. Her tenure there followed a similar pattern: dismantling structures she described as partisan — a stance critics said blurred personal loyalty with institutional purpose.
Earlier in 2025, the administration began a broad contraction of U.S.-funded media. In March, a federal district court ordered officials to release withheld payments to Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty; in May, the D.C. Circuit permitted a temporary suspension of some transfers, pending appeal. The broadcaster remains under judicial supervision, with its operations tied to congressional appropriations that have yet to be resolved.
The contraction extended beyond Europe. In May, the agency ended contracts with more than 500 contractors, and on June 20 it issued reduction-in-force notices to 639 employees. Radio Free Asia furloughed about three-quarters of its staff on March 19, and later suspended news operations on Oct. 30. The Office of Management and Budget advised the State Department to terminate most overseas democracy grants administered by its Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, prompting lawsuits from grantees, including the National Endowment for Democracy. Press-freedom organizations said the measures weakened U.S. credibility abroad and limited access to independent news in countries where media restrictions are already severe.
The policy rests on a March 14 executive order titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy. Ms. Lake cited that directive as her authority, saying the agency would operate at “statutory minimum.” What she described as efficiency, analysts said, effectively dismantled a Cold War-era broadcasting network that had been created to promote open information.
The Hungarian decision stood out for its timing and its implications. Mr. Orbán’s government had long accused Szabad Európa of bias. By halting its funding, the United States removed one of the few outlets that continued to scrutinize his administration. Freedom House classifies Hungary as “Partly Free,” citing weakened courts and concentrated media ownership. Reporters Without Borders called the Voice of America layoffs “a blow to U.S. credibility,” while political scientist Ron Linden wrote that silencing Radio Free Europe “is a gift to autocrats.”
When Mr. Orbán met with Mr. Trump on Nov. 7, discussions centered on energy and sanctions. The Hungarian leader sought exemptions that would allow continued purchases of Russian oil and pressed for renewed dialogue with Moscow. Analysts said the timing of Ms. Lake’s directive, issued just before the meeting, aligned with Hungary’s objectives and illustrated how domestic administrative actions can carry diplomatic consequences.
By narrowing its broadcasting network abroad, the United States has shifted from promoting open information to limiting its reach. The closure of Szabad Európa reflected that change — an administrative decision that, in both timing and effect, reinforced an ally’s control of the domestic narrative while reducing one of democracy’s most consistent voices.
Timeline
Mar. 14, 2025 — Executive order on reducing the federal bureaucracy issued.
Mar. 26, 2025 — Federal district court orders the U.S. Agency for Global Media to release Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty funds.
May 2, 2025 — D.C. Circuit permits a temporary suspension of some transfers, pending appeal.
May–Jun. 2025 — Contractor terminations and employee reduction notices issued.
Nov. 5, 2025 — Letter announces end of Hungarian-language service of Szabad Európa.
Nov. 7, 2025 — Mr. Orbán meets with Mr. Trump at the White House.
References
TIME | October 2024 | “How Kari Lake Went From Local Anchor to New Face of the MAGA Right” | https://time.com/6225004/kari-lake-arizona-maga-right-interview
The Hill | March 2025 | “Silencing Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty Is a Gift to Autocrats” | https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5212849-silencing-radio-free-europe-radio-liberty-is-a-gift-to-autocrats/
White House | March 14, 2025 | “Executive Order on Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” | https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/continuing-the-reduction-of-the-federal-bureaucracy/
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) | March 26, 2025 | “USAGM Rescinds RFE/RL Grant Termination” | https://about.rferl.org/article/usagm-rescinds-rfe-rl-grant-termination/
Law & Crime | March 2025 | “Kari Lake Settles Defamation Lawsuit Brought by Election Official She Claimed Sabotaged Her 2022 Race” | https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/kari-lake-settles-defamation-lawsuit-brought-by-election-official-she-claimed-sabotaged-her-2022-race/
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) | May 2025 | “RSF Condemns Mass Layoffs at Voice of America, Threatening Journalists with Deportation” | https://rsf.org/en/usa-rsf-condemns-mass-layoffs-voice-america-threatening-journalists-deportation
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) | May 2, 2025 | “US Appeals Court Allows Trump Administration To Temporarily Halt Funding To Radio Free Europe, Other Broadcasters” | https://www.rferl.org/a/court-allows-trump-temporarily-halt-funding-to-radio-free-europe-voa/33403256.html
Freedom House | March 2025 | “Hungary: Freedom in the World 2025 — Partly Free” | https://freedomhouse.org/country/hungary/freedom-world/2025
MSNBC | November 6, 2025 | “Kari Lake Gives Viktor Orbán a Major Gift Ahead of Trump Meeting” | https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/kari-lake-gives-viktor-orban-major-gift-ahead-trump-meeting-rcna242439
Reuters | October 30, 2025 | “Hungary’s Orban to Visit Trump, Discuss Path to US-Russia Meeting” | https://www.reuters.com/world/hungarys-orban-visit-trump-discuss-path-us-russia-meeting-2025-10-30/
Steve Herman (@W7VOA) | November 6, 2025 | “Public post on USAGM actions affecting US-backed media” | https://journa.host/%40w7voa/115220338062590530
U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) | March 15, 2025 | “U.S. Agency for Global Media Complies with Presidential Executive Order to Reduce the Federal Bureaucracy” | https://www.usagm.gov/2025/03/15/u-s-agency-for-global-media-complies-with-presidential-executive-order-to-reduce-the-federal-bureaucracy/
Washington-Baltimore News Guild | March 19, 2025 | “Radio Free Asia forced to furlough 75% of its staff due to funding freeze” | https://wbng.org/2025/03/19/breaking-radio-free-asia-forced-to-furlough-75-of-its-staff-due-to-funding-cuts/
ABC News | October 30, 2025 | “Radio Free Asia says it is halting its news operations due to funding troubles” | https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/radio-free-asia-halting-news-operations-due-funding-127037870
Reuters | June 20, 2025 | “Voice of America parent terminates over 600 more staff in likely death knell” | https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/voice-america-parent-terminates-over-600-more-staff-likely-death-knell-2025-06-20/
Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) | March 6, 2025 | “Democracy-promoting organization sues the Trump administration over denied funding” | https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/06/national-endowment-for-democracy-sues-trump-administration/
The Guardian | June 26, 2025 | “US state department told to end nearly all its overseas pro-democracy programs” | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/26/us-state-department-overseas-pro-democracy-programs
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) | July 18, 2025 | “US District Court Orders USAGM to Pay RFE/RL for Rest of Fiscal Year” | https://about.rferl.org/article/us-district-court-orders-usagm-to-pay-rfe-rl-for-rest-of-fiscal-year/
Reuters | October 31, 2025 | “Hungary’s Orban says he will seek exemption from US oil sanctions” | https://www.reuters.com/world/hungarys-orban-says-will-seek-exemption-us-oil-sanctions-2025-10-31/
Now @karilake can ooze her venom somewhere else.
C U N T. Actually, WORTHLESS CUNT.