I, Claudia: US Funds Far-Right in Europe

The US State Department just launched a $5 million grant scheme to fund organisations in Europe — pushing "Western civilizational heritage," anti-migration narratives, and attacks on the free press. Right before Germany's September 2026 elections.This is not a conspiracy theory. It is an official US government programme, published on state.gov, run by a bureau originally created to fight Soviet authoritarianism. That same bureau is now targeting allied democracies.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had to warn Washington publicly : stay out of our elections.In this episode of Over Here, Over There, we look at what is actually in this grant scheme, who is behind it, why Germany is uniquely placed to recognise the danger — and what it means when the country that spent decades lecturing the world about election interference starts doing it to its friends.Key TopicsUS foreign policy funding in EuropeGermany's response to US influenceThe role of the State Department in European politicsHistorical context of US democracy promotionThe impact of foreign funding on European electionsGermany's constitutional resilience against external influenceThe evolution of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and LaborImplications for US-Germany relationsSound Bites"Germany had to warn the US not to interfere with its elections""Developing civilizational bonds, democratic resilience and rule of law in Europe""Germany's constitutional model was built to be hard to break"🎙️ Over Here, Over There — the transatlantic podcast and beyond, comparing how the same world looks different from Europe and America.Please check out this and other episodes on our website overhereoverthere.org and all major podcast platforms. Most episodes are available in video and audio versions. Don't forget to like, subscribe, share, leave a comment, and hit that notification bell to be alerted when another episode drops! This all helps us grow the OHOT podcast and bring you more content like this. Thanks again.,