U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Congress to shut down the Voice of America, accusing the taxpayer-funded broadcaster of promoting radical leftist views and calling it a "total, leftwing disaster."
In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Trump intensified his criticism of the Voice of America (VOA), saying it no longer serves its original mission and instead operates as a "Democrat mouthpiece."
"Why would a Republican want Democrat 'mouthpiece,' Voice of America (VOA), to continue?" he wrote. "It’s a TOTAL, LEFTWING DISASTER – No Republican should vote for its survival. KILL IT!"
This marks the second attempt by Trump to dismantle the broadcaster since returning to office. His comments were echoed by Kari Lake, his senior adviser overseeing the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA. Speaking at a Capitol Hill hearing the same day, Lake described VOA as “outrageous,” “deeply corrupt,” and “a serious threat to our national security.”
Calls to dismantle the outlet date back to February, when Elon Musk, then serving as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, posted on X that VOA was "just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching 1 billion U.S. dollars a year of U.S. taxpayer money."
In March, the Trump administration released a statement labelling VOA as “The Voice of Radical America,” citing what it claimed were instances of “anti-Trump content on social media” and editorial guidelines instructing staff “not to call Hamas and its members terrorists, except when quoting statements.”
Since March, VOA has undergone sweeping layoffs. More than 1,400 employees have reportedly been dismissed, including more than 600 in the latest round of terminations last Friday, leaving the staff count below 200.
Founded in 1942 during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda, the Voice of America has historically been supported across the political spectrum as a vehicle for promoting American values and democratic principles abroad.
Its future now faces uncertainty as Congress weighs funding decisions under growing partisan pressure.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his governmen...
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations...
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United St...
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that additional news organisations could be barred from the White House, hours after announcing bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as “fake news”.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his government faces growing public frustration and a resurgent far right.
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations against Islamic State since 2016, the Transport Ministry said.
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United States.
World leaders are set to gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for several days of high-level debate, with Iran, Ukraine, artificial intelligence (AI) and a range of global crises expected to dominate discussions this week.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his public support for Palestine.
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