DOGE guns Politico: Is the Trump admin going after the media industry?
3 Min Read
The Trump administration has announced the end of alleged government spending on Politico in what appears to be a targeted campaign against media companies.
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President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at Washington Hilton, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
The United States government will halt tax spending on media subscriptions, particularly Politico, US Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed on Wednesday.
According to Leavitt, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) had been financially supporting media organizations, including Politico, using at least $8 million in taxpayer money to subsidize Politico subscriptions.
The press secretary stated that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has already mobilized efforts to cancel the payments. "This is a whole of government effort to ensure that we are going line by line when it comes to the federal government's books," she said.
Relaying the news, Axios claimed that the Trump administration would face no legal repercussions for undermining media, adding that right-wing lobbies have been using USAspending.gov to look into additional media outlets, such as The New York Times, AP, and Reuters, for links to government payments.
This decision is part of the Trump administration's sweeping government overhaul and cost-cutting initiative, aimed at reducing federal spending and eliminating programs deemed unnecessary, led by Elon Musk.
The theory
The probe commenced when Politico missed payroll on Tuesday, citing a technological drawback. It is worth noting that the Trump administration has been working on suspending USAID, announcing on Tuesday that all global personnel would be put on leave.
As MAGA media revealed the US government pumped a whopping $8.2 million into Politico subscriptions, prompting the public to falsely connect both occurrences.
A false theory emerged, linking Politico's missed payroll to the suspension of USAID, according to Axios.
The theory was extensively circulated on social media, with DOGE chief Elon Musk reposting it on his social media platform X.
The reality
Axios then reported that $24,000 of the $8.2 million seemingly came from USAID. This total amount was what the entire government paid to Politico, likely for premium subscriptions like Politico Pro, which offers in-depth coverage of policy and industry topics, costing thousands of dollars annually.
Politico's CEO, Goli Sheikholeslami, and global editor-in-chief, John Harris, addressed staff in a memo, expressing that they "welcome" the ongoing discussion about the value of Politico's subscriptions.
They emphasized that the company has never benefited from government programs or subsidies and that the vast majority of its subscriptions are funded by the private sector. They reassured staff by stating, "Please know that our business is strong and enduring."
Is Trump going after free press?
The US government allocates funds for subscriptions and advertising with different media organizations. Agency leaders have the authority to direct how this spending is allocated, as outlined by the General Services Administration.
While there are no federal laws mandating that the government must spend advertising or subscription money with specific outlets, some regulations do exist requiring state governments to place public notice ads in local newspapers.
According to Axios, the Trump administration's focus on cutting relatively small media budgets at the start of his second term highlights how high a priority targeting media companies is for them.
In this context, MAGA supporters are continuing to promote and spread this theory online, while conservative commentator Dana Loesch has called for protests in front of Politico offices.
