Trump is silent MBN, a rare pro-US voice in the Middle East

Jeffrey Gedmin is President/CEO of Middle East Broadcasting Networks. Andres Ilves is the director for strategic initiatives of MBN and former executive at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Persian services of the BBC.

Switch on your iPhone, laptop or television in the Middle East and you are fed with an infinite, relentless, aggressive diet of anti-American and anti-democratic junk food. There are al-Aqsa TVs sponsored by Hamas. There are Hisbollahs al-Manar TV. The Houthis have al-Masirah TVs.

International players with their own agendas feed messages at millions of Arabs. Qatar wastefully promotes anti -American, anti -Israeli al Jazera. The United Arab Emirates support Sky News Arabia. The Saudis finances its network, Al Arabiya. The French, the Germans and BBC -Arabian each have their own Arab language service and their own inclination.

Of course, Iran has spread over several terrorist groups in the Middle East Tentacle. The Iranian foreign radio budget is now increasing by 50 percent to 36 million US dollars this year.

And America? We are currently in the case of abdication of our broadcasting site in the Middle East. Against the propaganda, the United States had a rare voice of reason and have so far fought back.

Congress financed Middle Eastern Radio Networks and its and its watched and digital platforms called Alhurray – “The Free One” – consequences of millions in the Arab world who also want to hear America’s team. MBN reports on the American corners of the news that withdraw against the caricatures and conspiracy.

And now this lonely American point of view is being brought about to silence. Do not remain silent from Iranean -financed extremists or from other enemy states, but from our own government.

On March 14, the congress approved the financing of MBN for the rest of the 2025 financial year. But hours later, this financing was cut off by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and the newly appointed special consultant Kari Lake, which is headed by the agency that monitors the US agency for global media.

We all counted on International Radio with reform, restructuring and reduction. Closing the Radio networks of the Middle East will not make America great again. This in a region that is of crucial importance for President Trump’s foreign policy agenda.

Hamas, Hisbollah and Houthis lick their chops. “Its soft power has failed,” mocked an Iranian -supported militia in Iraq after the news of MBN’s closure was released.

No wonder they hate mbn. We are credible and convincing. We are cost -effective for the American taxpayer.

We started a transformation process almost a year ago. We separated from 200 employees, reduced the company costs by 25 percent – and saved our funkers, the American taxpayer, $ 20 million annually. We are preparing for additional, intelligent and strategic cuts when we received the message that MBN should be closed. MBN Today is the price of two Apache helicopters or about 104 million US dollars.

What a strange, confusing mess.

A unique, Arabic voice television and digital media companies financed around the clock, which is silenced in a certain week of up to 34 million people in 22 countries in the Middle East and in North Africa from our own side.

When people in the Middle East hear from an America that is not an enemy, but an ally and – whatever the flaws – is a beacon of democracy, America wins. But we are now a scenario in which everyone loses. And when losing it means America first.