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Since almost day one, the second Trump administration has singled out Europe as a major target of its ire. From U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance accusing European leaders in Munich last year of suppressing free speech for annulling an election in Romania, to the White House National Security Strategy warning that the continent faces “civilizational erasure” due to the influence of the European Union and immigration, the Trump administration has plenty of notes for how it thinks Europe needs to change.

Now, the administration is putting its money where its mouth is: The State Department will soon announce a wave of grants aimed in part at reshaping European domestic politics.

Since almost day one, the second Trump administration has singled out Europe as a major target of its ire. From U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance accusing European leaders in Munich last year of suppressing free speech for annulling an election in Romania, to the White House National Security Strategy warning that the continent faces “civilizational erasure” due to the influence of the European Union and immigration, the Trump administration has plenty of notes for how it thinks Europe needs to change.

Now, the administration is putting its money where its mouth is: The State Department will soon announce a wave of grants aimed in part at reshaping European domestic politics.

The effort is being overseen by a little-known office within the department known as the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) that was historically involved in promoting democracy in places such as Cuba, Iran, and Russia. Leading the charge is the bureau’s no. 2 official, a 27-year-old who previously worked at a conservative group with ties to Vance, and who first came to prominence for writing a State Department essay criticizing Europe.

The project faces steep odds thanks to bureaucratic hurdles and a European domestic audience that may simply care less about the issues championed by the White House. Yet critics fear that the campaign could further strain already tense relations between some European politicians and the United States—and could help legitimize views once considered fringe in Europe.

A photo posted on Facebook by the U.S. Embassy in Hungary shows Samuel Samson (left) at a meeting in December 2025 with a senior Hungarian official. U.S. Embassy Budapest

The grant money comes from last year’s budget for the State Department’s Democracy Fund, said a State Department spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity. The fund is known as the State Department’s “venture capital” fund for democracy promotion and is overseen by DRL.

It is unclear precisely how much money remains in the fund, although the spokesperson said any available dollars would be committed. The State Department did not respond to a follow-up request for comment on the specific amount still available in the Democracy Fund.

It was funded at $205.2 million in 2025, and DRL has publicly announced only a $5 million contract for assisting defenders of religious freedom. Separately, a $25 million fund for Ukrainian children taken by Russia was also announced, which the State Department spokesperson said was partially funded by DRL money.

Whatever money remains, though, must be spent by September 2026 under the legislation authorizing it.

Some of the grants will target Europe, the spokesperson confirmed. “The National Security Strategy highlights our........

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