U.S. State Department Excludes French Applicants from Grant Program Amid Interference Concerns
The decision follows warnings from Paris regarding potential U.S. interference in upcoming French presidential elections.
Quick Look
The U.S. State Department will exclude French applicants from a grant program supporting MAGA-aligned groups after Paris warned against potential foreign interference in the upcoming 2027 French presidential election.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The U.S. administration has previously expressed criticism of EU hate speech laws. France is preparing for the 2027 presidential election with new legislation against foreign interference.
PARIS — The U.S. State Department will exclude French applicants from a grant program meant to support MAGA-aligned groups after Paris warned against potential interference in next year’s French presidential election.
The program aims to advance the U.S. administration’s political agenda in Europe and fight what it describes as democratic backsliding, including “overbroad and vague hate-speech laws.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Paris confirmed French groups wouldn’t receive funding, as first reported by Reuters.
The grant program was formally advertised in the summer after U.S. State Department officials held talks with MAGA-aligned think tanks and advocacy groups about funding opportunities earlier this year. That led French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to warn against what he described as potential “foreign interference in [European] electoral processes.”
The country is beefing up its arsenal to fight online disinformation and foreign interference ahead of the 2027 presidential campaign, with a law set to be considered by the Senate in October.
A spokesperson for the State Department said the program “does not and will not fund political parties, in Europe or elsewhere” and added that the allocation of grants “was still in active deliberation.”
The U.S. administration, most prominently Vice President JD Vance, has repeatedly framed the EU’s hate speech laws and election safety measures as attempts to curtail free speech and civil rights.
Its high-profile support for Hungary’s autocratic former leader Viktor Orbán and its pledge to support like-minded “patriotic European parties” in its National Security Strategy have raised fears of election interference ahead of several key elections in Europe.
The spokesperson for the State Department said the strategy objectives included “collaborating with European partners to jointly support European revitalization and civilizational self-confidence.”
Nicolas Conquer, the founder of the MAGA-aligned French think tank Western Arc, has applied for the funding. He said he had yet to receive a formal response to his application.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
French Senate to consider anti-disinformation law in October.
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will other European nations be excluded from the grant program?
- What is the specific criteria for 'MAGA-aligned' groups?
