ISTANBUL

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused the US Agency for International Development (USAID) of financing left-wing media outlets in Europe, citing an unverified social media claim.

"So apparently USAID financed ultra-progressive Politico in Brussels and basically the entire left-wing media in Hungary under the previous US administration,” Orban posted on X on Wednesday evening.

"I think the world owes a debt of gratitude to (US) President (Donald Trump) for uncovering and putting an end to this dark conspiracy," he added.

On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the federal government would cancel $8 million worth of government subscriptions to the Politico media outlet.

However, Leavitt could not verify the claim circulating on social media, amplified by Orban, that USAID was behind the payments.

"I was made aware of the funding of USAID to media outlets, including Politico ... And I can confirm that the more than $8 million taxpayer dollars that have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the American taxpayer's dime,” she told reporters.

According to USAspending, an official government website tracking federal expenditures, other major American media organizations like Bloomberg and The New York Times also received payments from different federal institutions, many of which were for online subscriptions.

With a budget of over $50 billion as of 2023, USAID is one of the largest official aid agencies in the world.

It has provided funding to an array of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including media organizations in more than 30 countries, to advance its mission of promoting global development and humanitarian assistance.

However, the Trump administration has initiated a shutdown of USAID operations at home and abroad.

The abrupt move led to widespread disruptions in global aid programs, affecting numerous NGOs and media organizations that rely on USAID funding.