US State Department to Issue Grants Aimed at Reshaping European Politics

The US State Department will soon announce a wave of grants from its Democracy Fund aimed in part at reshaping European domestic politics, according to a State Department spokesperson who spoke on condition of anonymity. The effort is overseen by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), a little-known office historically involved in promoting democracy in places such as Cuba, Iran, and Russia.

Leading the charge is Samuel Samson, 27, who became DRL deputy assistant secretary on May 3 after being elevated from senior advisor. Samson previously worked in a senior role at American Moment, an organization dedicated to bringing young conservatives into positions of power that has close ties to Vice President J.D. Vance. “Vance was one of the first supporters of American Moment from its inception,” according to the group’s website.

Samson first gained prominence as the author of a May 2025 State Department essay that sharply critiqued Europe for becoming “a hotbed of digital censorship, mass migration, restrictions on religious freedom, and numerous other assaults on democratic self-governance.” Starting from his time as a senior advisor, Samson made trips to France, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Greece. In Hungary, he spoke at a think tank funded by former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a U.S. President Donald Trump ally. In France, French human rights official Magali Lafourcade described a meeting in which she said Samson and other officials expressed concern that an embezzlement conviction against National Rally politician Marine Le Pen was an example of political repression. Samson separately met with conservative British politician Nigel Farage and, in the United States, with parliamentarians from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

The Democracy Fund was funded at $205.2 million in 2025, and DRL has publicly announced only a $5 million contract for assisting defenders of religious freedom and a $25 million fund for Ukrainian children taken by Russia, which the spokesperson said was partially funded by DRL money. Whatever money remains must be spent by September 2026 under the legislation authorizing it. The spokesperson confirmed some grants will target Europe, saying, “The National Security Strategy highlights our priorities in Europe, which include advancing political liberty, promoting free speech, and collaborating with European partners to jointly support European revitalization and civilizational self-confidence.”

The State Department spokesperson said DRL is not planning to fund political parties. While the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act does not explicitly rule out such a move, it prevents funds from being used to influence elections. One person who has worked implementing democracy programs for the U.S. government, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of professional retaliation, said, “I don’t think there’s anything stopping them from, say, giving a grant to a think tank that works with [British party] Reform or AfD that becomes basically a de facto contribution.”

Critics warn the campaign could further strain already tense relations between some European politicians and the United States and help legitimize views once considered fringe in Europe. A March 2026 poll of citizens in Poland, Spain, Belgium, France, Germany, and Italy found that only 12% thought of the United States as a “close ally.” In the highest-profile test of whether U.S. support could sway European voters, Vance stumped prominently for Orban in Hungary, who subsequently lost the April election.

Dan Hamilton, a former top State Department official, said the Trump administration “will be accused of interfering in [these countries’] sovereign decision-making.” The State Department did not reply to a request for comment on Hamilton’s assessment.