Back on Thursday, February 13, President Donald Trump sounded off on what might be the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) biggest discovery yet: the American government was shelling out millions upon millions of dollars to various woke media outlets. Amongst the payments was millions to Politico, known for its anti-Trump stance, which Trump demanded be paid back.
As background, DOGE discovered, in data confirmed on USAspending.gov, that federal government agencies spent a whopping $8 million on Politico subscriptions and related products in 2024 alone. That included $24,000 spent by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The news was infuriating to many conservatives who see Politico as an outlet that is opposed to their values and interests, and thus not a company that should get government dollars.
President Trump, in any case, took to Truth Social to sound off on the matter and express fury that so much was spent on Politico. He even demanded Politico pay back the funds it received from the government, writing, “DOGE: Why was Politico paid Millions of Dollars for NOTHING. Buying the press??? PAY BACK THE MONEY TO THE TAXPAYERS! How much has the Failing New York Times paid? Is this the money that is keeping it open??? THEY ARE BUYING THE PRESS!”
That comes alongside White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announcing during a press briefing that Politico would henceforth be receiving no “subsidizing subscriptions” from the government. She said, “I was made aware of the funding from USAID to media outlets, including Politico who has a seat in the room. I can confirm the more than $8 million taxpayer dollars have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the taxpayer’s dime will no longer be happening.”
Politico’s leaders, Goli Sheikholeslami and John Harris, sent a memo on the matter to staff in which they said, “POLITICO has never been a beneficiary of government programs or subsidies — not one cent, ever, in 18 years.” They added, “The value of this journalism is clear, as evidenced by our subscription re-enlistment rates.” Watch Karoline Leavitt sound off on the Politico funding and announce its end here:
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It turns out, the AP was receiving subscription money as well. Commenting on the matter in a statement, the AP said that the federal government has “long been an AP customer — through both Democratic and Republican administrations.” The AP added, “It licenses AP’s nonpartisan journalism, just like thousands of news outlets and customers around the world. It’s quite common for governments to have contracts with news organizations for their content.”
The AP, however, has been in hot water with the Trump Administration for other reasons. Namely, it has refused to call the Gulf of America such, instead preferring to use its old name, the Gulf of Mexico, much to the chagrin of the Trump Administration. Team Trump, in turn, has refused to allow the AP access to the White House press briefings for so long as it refuses to use “the Gulf of America” as its terminology.
White House Chief of Staff Taylor Bundowich commented in a post on X about the AP issue. Doing so, he said, “The Associated Press continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America. This decision is not just divisive, but it also exposes the Associated Press’ commitment to misinformation.”
Continuing, he added, “While their right to irresponsible and dishonest reporting is protected by the First Amendment, it does not ensure their privilege of unfettered access to limited spaces, like the Oval Office and Air Force One. Going forward, that space will now be opened up to the many thousands of reporters who have been barred from covering these intimate areas of the administration. Associate Press journalists and photographers will retain their credentials to the White House complex.”