Trump turns away from soft power
President Trump is eroding America’s ability to inspire, encourage and persuade others to act in ways that serve common goals. His “art of the deal” is transactional and based on hard power, where demands and threats make nations make deals.
March 2025 Trump humiliated president Zelensky in an orchestrated ambush stating he was “not ready for peace” and that he “disrespected the United States of America.” This latter statement (made live on TV during a heated Oval Office meeting), came on the heels of Trump taking to social media to call him a “dictator.” The pan was to make Ukraine give in to US power.
Trump enageded in power politics where he took it upon himself to negotiate Ukraine’s fate without having Ukraine in the room. His team also floated an “offer” to Ukraine straight out of “The Godfather”: Hand over some mineral rights as “payback” for our past help, and maybe we’ll think about letting you keep defending your country. Maybe.
During the exchange, Vance called Zelensky “disrespectful” and said he should be more thankful to Trump. The clash, broadcast for the world to see, wasn’t just a political power move — it was a calculated act of degradation, reinforcing the message that under Trump, Ukraine is expected to grovel for every bullet.
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A White House statement said the order would "ensure taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda", and included quotes from politicians and right-wing media criticising the broadcaster. VOA, still primarily a radio service, was set up during World War Two to counter Nazi propaganda. It says it currently reaches hundreds of millions of people globally each week.
Mike Abramowitz, VOA's director, said he and virtually his entire staff of 1,300 people had been put on paid leave.
Abramowitz said that the order left VOA unable to carry out its "vital mission... especially critical today, when America's adversaries, like Iran, China, and Russia, are sinking billions of dollars into creating false narratives to discredit the United States".
The National Press Club, a leading representative group for US journalists, said the order "undermines America's long-standing commitment to a free and independent press". It added: "If an entire newsroom can be sidelined overnight, what does that say about the state of press freedom?
"An entire institution is being dismantled piece by piece. This isn't just a staffing decision - it's a fundamental shift that endangers the future of independent journalism at VOA."
The president's order targets VOA's parent company US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which also funds non-profit entities such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, which were originally set up to counter communism. It tells managers to "reduce performance… to the minimum presence and function required by law". CBS, the BBC's US news partner, said that VOA employees were notified in an email by Crystal Thomas, the USAGM human resources director. A source told CBS that all freelance workers and international contractors were told there was now no money to pay them. Emails obtained by CBS notified the bosses of Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that their federal grants had been terminated.
VOA and other stations under USAGM say they serve more than 400 million listeners. They are broadly equivalent to the BBC World Service, which is part-funded by the British government.