F ormer President Donald Trump has amplified a claim circulating among right-wing circles that media organizations, particularly Politico, received substantial payments from USAid—the foreign aid agency currently being dismantled under Elon Musk’s oversight and the "department of government efficiency."
A social media-driven allegation suggests Politico was the recipient of $8 million from USAid. However, the reality is that this amount reflects payments for federal government subscriptions to the news outlet and is not related to grants or financial aid from the agency. Despite this, various conservative figures have misrepresented the payments as political "payoffs."
Early Thursday, Trump took to Truth Social to weigh in on the issue.
“LOOKS LIKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAVE BEEN STOLEN AT USAID, AND OTHER AGENCIES, MUCH OF IT GOING TO THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA AS A ‘PAYOFF’ FOR CREATING GOOD STORIES ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS,” Trump wrote.
He further questioned whether other major outlets, including The New York Times, had received similar funds, calling it "the biggest scandal of them all, perhaps the biggest in history."
However, an investigation revealed that only $44,000 of the alleged USAid payments to Politico were for E&E subscriptions, a Politico-owned energy news service, purchased in 2023 and 2024. These payments were for premium subscriptions, including Politico Pro, a high-end service offering exclusive content, analysis, and legislative tracking.
Conservative commentators seized upon the high subscription costs to fuel conspiracy theories, with some suggesting potential money laundering.
Elon Musk and influential right-wing figures, including the Heritage Foundation and commentator Benny Johnson, escalated the claims. Johnson, with over 3 million followers on X, called it the "biggest scandal in news media history." Representative Lauren Boebert accused Politico of attacking Musk for "exposing their grift," only for critics to point out that her office had also subscribed to Politico. Radio host Dana Loesch urged protests outside Politico’s offices.
The controversy reached the White House press briefing, where Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the issue directly.
“I was made aware of the funding from USAid to media outlets, including Politico, which has a seat in this room,” Leavitt said. “I can confirm that the more than $8 million taxpayer dollars that have gone to subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the American taxpayer’s dime will no longer be happening. The ‘department of government efficiency’ team is working on canceling those payments now.”
Politico’s leadership responded internally, clarifying that the organization has “never been a beneficiary of government programs or subsidies—not one cent, ever, in 18 years.” CEO Goli Sheikholeslami and global editor-in-chief John Harris stated that contract renewals are a routine part of business and that they are open to discussions with their federal government subscribers.
Beyond Politico, social media users highlighted similar government subscription payments to outlets like The Associated Press and The New York Times. Musk labeled The New York Times as “government-funded media” after reposting screenshots of subscription transactions.
Additionally, BBC Media Action, an international charity supporting journalism training worldwide, was noted to have received USAid funding amounting to about 8% of its total income in 2023-24. The organization emphasized its independence from BBC News, clarifying that it does not produce news itself.
As Musk continues efforts to dismantle USAid, the debate over government-funded media subscriptions remains a flashpoint in the evolving political landscape.
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