Why Trump Silences the Voice of America - Part 1/3

The Vatican has elected the first American pope in history—Leo XIV—after Pope Francis passed away on Easter. A monumental story. Yet Voice of America and Radio Free Europe remained silent—because Trump cut them off.

The U.S. President’s decision to shut down Voice of America and Radio Free—an unprecedented move—has gone largely unexamined for nearly two months. But now the situation is spiraling, with one escalation after another. This is no longer a niche issue—it’s a headline crisis. Trump is targeting every public media outlet, aiming for total

Three key questions:

1. What exactly happened?

2. What are Trump’s reasons and motives?

3. How will this reshape American media, society—and the world?

Let’s find out.

Forced Silence

May 3rd is World Press Freedom Day. On that very day, a U.S. federal appeals court blocked the reinstatement of Voice of America (VOA). Just the day before—Friday—Trump had signed an order to terminate funding for public broadcasting. Three days later, on May 6, VOA was taken over completely and would start airing pro-Trump party content.

To strike on Press Freedom Day was no coincidence. The UN established the day in 1993 to protect journalistic independence from state interference. Not every nation cares about it—but for the United States, isn’t press freedom supposed to be a founding principle? If freedom is gone, what soul of the nation remains?

But things don’t work the way they should—especially in Trump’s second term. Judges he appointed during his first are now showing their hand.

Why wasn’t this front-page news? Because few even noticed—and fewer cared. Americans are inward-looking. VOA and Radio Free Europe/Asia are foreign-facing. Authoritarian regimes label them “enemy stations.” Most Americans have never heard of them. NPR and PBS, on the other hand, are household fixtures, part of daily life. If they’re shut down, the shock will be far more immediate and unexpected.

The story is still unfolding. But here’s how it’s gone so far:

March 14, 2025 – Friday night. Trump signs an executive order dissolving the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), ending operations of VOA, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and more.

March 15 – Saturday. All 1,300 VOA staff are placed on indefinite leave, including senior editors. 600 contractors are fired. Offices locked. Programming halted. First time since 1942 that VOA fully goes dark. Analysts warn the U.S. is losing its voice in the global information war.

Trump's Public Broadcasting Tzaress Kari Lake—former TV anchor and Trump loyalist—announces that VOA is terminating all contracts with AP, Reuters, and AFP, ending collaboration with international news agencies. Staff are outraged, calling it a betrayal of VOA’s mission to deliver authoritative, independent journalism.

March 21 – Trump administration is sued for violating press freedom and congressional authority.

April 22 – Federal Judge Royce Lamberth issues an injunction, ruling that Trump’s order breaches congressional appropriations and violates the Constitution, ordering reinstatement of staff, restoration of VOA programming, and $15 million in funding to Radio Free.

May 2 – Another Friday. Trump issues a second order—this time cutting all funding to PBS and NPR.

May 3 – A federal appeals court rules 2–1 that Judge Lamberth lacked authority to reinstate staff or funding. Two Trump-appointed judges vote yes; Obama-appointed Judge Cornelia Pillard dissents. But the ruling does not overturn Lamberth’s order that VOA continue airing mandatory programming. The administration must still provide “essential” content.

What’s telling is that Trump’s lawyers never even challenged Lamberth’s injunction. They simply waited—for their own judges to weigh in. That same Saturday, internal systems at VOA begin reopening. Email restored. Programming set to “phase back in” next week.

Kari Lake celebrates a “major victory.” But is that it? Of course not. The real show is just beginning.

May 7 – Tuesday night. Kari Lake abruptly announces having reached a deal: overseas VOA content will now be produced exclusively by One America News Network (OAN), a far-right, pro-Trump media outlet. No taxpayer funding needed.

Critics asked: Wait, what?
Trump loyalists shrugged: What’s the problem?

The problem is huge.

Handing VOA’s international broadcasting to OAN is a profound violation. VOA is publicly funded, its charter mandates “reliable and authoritative news.” It cannot outsource content to a president’s partisan media arm.

OAN is no public broadcaster. It operated as a minor cable network from 2013 to 2022; now it’s just a fringe streaming platform, made a name by being even more extreme than FoxNews. OAN backed the January 6 insurrection and the 2020 election conspiracy theories. It has faced—and settled—multiple defamation lawsuits: with Smartmatic, a former Dominion Voting Systems executive, and two Georgia election workers.

But under Trumpist logic, federal media must serve the federal executive. Public broadcasting must follow the president. Whoever wins the presidency should control the airwaves. Obvious. Natural. Divine right.

It sounds sensible—until you think for two seconds. If the president can control broadcasting, should they also control mail delivery? Should NASA launch rockets on party orders? Should the military, science agencies, transportation, medicine, law enforcement, weather services—all follow party command?

If the president can bypass Congress, reshape public media, purge staff, seize funding, and dictate content—what’s left of separation of powers? Of press independence?

You tell me.

Voice of America: White House Mouthpiece or Independent Journalism?

The core question is: Is public broadcasting a tool of White House propaganda, or an independent news institution?

To answer that, we first need to understand the origins, purpose, and current function of public broadcasting in the U.S.—especially its relationship with Congress and the White House. What has changed over time, and what remains the important?

First, the U.S. federal government has no “Ministry of Propaganda,” nor a state-run media directly under the White House. The White House does have a Press Secretary’s Office, which handles communications and public statements—it’s a public relations body for the presidency.

The State Department has an Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, responsible for international messaging, official statements, global media strategy, and social media. Most federal agencies also maintain press offices and spokesperson systems.

So does the U.S. government have “state media”? The answer is—Yes and No.

External-facing broadcasters like Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe (RFE), Radio Free Asia (RFA), and domestic institutions like National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) all receive federal funding and are therefore often viewed as “U.S. state media.”

These institutions are now under assault by the Trump administration—justified as cost-cutting, but in reality, part of political warfare. Yet their origins, mission, and growth are all tied to war, the Cold War, and nation-building. VOA is the most iconic example.

VOA is the U.S. government’s official international broadcasting service, federally funded and operating through radio, television, and digital platforms to deliver American news, values, and perspectives around the world. For decades, it also served overseas US citizens and military personnel.

International broadcasting began in 1941 during World War II. At the time, Nazi Germany, Japan, the UK, and the USSR all had global radio services. VOA began full operations in 1942, originally targeting Axis countries like Germany, Italy, and Japan, broadcasting anti-fascist news and democratic ideals—essentially wartime counter-propaganda, an important part of the global war operation.

In the 1940s and ’50s, VOA expanded its content and languages—adding Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, and more. During the Cold War, it served as the front line of ideological confrontation with the Soviet bloc, emphasizing American culture, lifestyle, and values, aiming to build global understanding and goodwill.

In the 1980s and ’90s, VOA adopted satellite broadcasting and internet platforms, moving beyond shortwave radio to become a multi-platform outlet. Its content reached global TV networks and websites. In the 21st century, VOA expanded to social media—Twitter, Facebook, etc.—with programming in over 40 languages, including Chinese, Arabic, French, Persian, Russian, Hindi, and more.

Over decades, though often labeled a “hostile foreign station” by authoritarian governments, VOA operated under a charter of editorial independence. Its mission is to provide accurate, objective news—particularly impactful in places where information is tightly controlled.

In 1996, after the Cold War, the U.S. launched RFE/RL and RFA to reach specific regions. These were legally registered as independent nonprofit media organizations—although funded by Congress, they are legally required to maintain editorial independence.

In 1999, the U.S. established the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which was restructured in 2018 as the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). USAGM, funded by Congress and overseen by the federal government, manages VOA, RFE/RL, RFA, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), and Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB).

Here’s the question: Are these really independent media?

Since USAGM relies entirely on federal funding, critics claim it's merely a tool of U.S. soft power or even propaganda. Though USAGM’s official mandate is to deliver “free and independent journalism,” its political coloration has always been debated—especially regarding the promotion of American-style “democratic values.”

So when you say “Yes,” it’s true: these outlets are funded by the federal government. But “No” is also valid: they are legally independent entities, with autonomous editorial control—not state mouthpieces like those in authoritarian regimes.

Under the 1948 Smith-Mundt Act and the 1976 VOA Charter, VOA is legally obligated to provide fair, accurate, and comprehensive reporting. It may not be used as a tool for political propaganda.

Yes, VOA promotes American interests—but it operates as a news organization, fundamentally distinct from Nazi Germany’s propaganda ministry or the Soviet TASS agency. VOA is subject to legal and journalistic standards, prohibited from spreading false or harmful information, and explicitly forbidden from serving as a partisan tool.

This emphasis on editorial independence isn't just about ethics or journalistic integrity—it’s a firewall against becoming party media, a safeguard against weaponization in partisan battles or administration successions.

In contrast, Nazi or Soviet propaganda organs operated by decree, pushed disinformation, glorified the regime, demonized enemies and opponents, banned criticism, and sanitized reality. VOA and its peers openly report on American social issues—poverty, racial inequality, policy failures, political strife, and more.

That’s the external broadcasting picture. What about domestic public media?

Stay tuned for the next episode: "Why Trump Wants to Gut Public Broadcasting."