Trump policy condemned as “unilateral act of disarmament” in global information war
Image:
President Trump, who coined the term “fake news,” is familiar with the power of disinformation
The Trump administration has closed a government department dedicated to combating terrorism and disinformation, as well as terminating international agreements.
The United States has officially ended its international efforts to combat disinformation campaigns from hostile states, including Russia, China and Iran, by terminating memoranda of understanding (MoU) with European countries.
Three European officials told the Financial Times that Washington informed governments last week it would cancel agreements signed under the Biden administration last year.
Those agreements, brokered through the State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC), had sought to create a coordinated approach to identifying and countering malicious foreign propaganda aimed at destabilising democracies.
President Barack Obama instructed the Secretary of State to establish the GEC through an executive order in 2016. Modelled on earlier State Department initiatives aimed at countering terrorist support, it was charged with coordinating interagency efforts to deliver US-government-backed counterterrorism messaging to foreign audiences.
Later that year Congress formally authorised the GEC under the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act, broadening its mission beyond counterterrorism to include combating propaganda and disinformation from both state and non-state actors that threatened US national security and that of allied nations.
The GEC was ultimately shut down in December 2024 after congressional Republicans blocked the renewal of its mandate. Its responsibilities were briefly transferred to a State Department office, which the Trump administration dissolved in April this year.
The termination of existing memoranda of understanding marks the final step in winding down the programme.
James Rubin, who led the centre until December, condemned the move as a “unilateral act of disarmament” in the global information war.
“Information warfare is a reality of our time and artificial intelligence is only going to multiply the risks from that,” he warned.
During its final years the GEC produced reports on Russian and Chinese influence campaigns, warning that Beijing was pouring billions into disinformation efforts worldwide and that Moscow had used propaganda to undermine support for Ukraine, manipulate foreign elections and destabilise democracies.
In September 2024 the centre accused Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT of acting as a front for Russian intelligence in Moldova, allegations that followed European and UK bans on the outlet after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The GEC also emerged as a point of political contention, with some Republicans alleging that it exceeded its mandate and suppressed conservative viewpoints.
Darren Beattie, the acting undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, defended the decision to shut down the programme – though mostly by parroting unsupported right-wing claims.
“Far from spiking a single plan, we were proud to spike the entire GEC,” he said.
“Not only was GEC’s infamous censorship activity profoundly misaligned with this administration’s pro-free speech position, it was woefully and embarrassingly ineffective on its own terms,” Beattie said.
Rubin rejected those allegations, insisting that the centre never engaged in censorship and that its mission was directed abroad.
He said more than 20 partner countries had signed onto the memoranda last year.
The closure comes as Russia, China, and Iran intensify their global influence campaigns.
The end of the agreements leaves European and allied partners with reduced backing to confront escalating threats from hostile state propaganda.