The president is demanding a refund.
Former President Donald Trump has called on two prominent media organizations, Reuters and Politico, to repay millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded contracts. Trump made these demands in a series of early-morning posts on his Truth Social platform, criticizing both outlets for receiving significant government funds. Reuters, through its parent company Thomson Reuters Special Services (TRSS), was awarded $9 million for a 2018 Department of Defense contract focused on studying social deception, while Politico received $8.2 million for premium subscriptions for federal employees.
Trump specifically targeted Reuters over its involvement in a contract with the Department of Defense aimed at defending against social engineering attacks. The program, known as Active Social Engineering Defense (ASED), seeks to develop technology that can identify and disrupt social engineering tactics. The contract ended in 2022, but the role played by TRSS in the project remains unclear. Elon Musk also chimed in on social media, calling the contract a “total scam.”
In addition to Reuters, Trump criticized Politico for its receipt of taxpayer money to subsidize subscriptions for federal employees. He questioned why such funds were used for Politico’s subscriptions, accusing the outlet of “buying the press.” This post followed an announcement from the White House press secretary confirming that the government would be canceling the Politico subscriptions moving forward.
The controversy surrounding these payments also revealed that members of both political parties in Congress had spent tens of thousands of dollars on Politico subscriptions. While these payments are now being stopped, the situation has raised concerns about the use of taxpayer money for media subscriptions and government contracts with news organizations.
In response to Trump’s comments, TRSS defended its work, stating that its defense projects were separate from its news division. The company has received millions of dollars in government contracts over the years, including funding from the U.S. Air Force and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The debate highlights ongoing concerns about the relationship between media organizations and government funding.
