USAID funded initiatives and NGOs in Brazil that censored conservatives.
Posted by Louder with Crowder, Checked
- Sources
- 2 contradict6 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
Louder with CrowderOct 5, 2026
The claim that USAID funded Brazilian NGOs and initiatives that censored conservatives rests on allegations from Mike Benz and Brazilian politicians, which echo one another and are not independently documented.
What was said
… And that was a reason for what happened in Brazil? Because a lot of people are making that connection. N g o s u s aid 100% 100%. Bolsonaro lost 20, and we can talk about how clean is the election in Brazil in a minute. Bolsonaro supposedly lost election by 1.8 points in 2022, okay? And with the but the whole right was being censored because USAID was funding initiatives, NGOs, and even the court in Brazil, court initiatives to censor conservatives that were promoting quote unquote misinformation or disinformation or hate speech or whatever. So we couldn't speak. And now all the plus all the they train Brazilian Supreme Court officers to know how to literally train. …
Louder with Crowder · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. An analysis of USAID records finds no Brazil-specific spending on democracy, elections, or media in the relevant period, which cuts against the claim that USAID funded Brazilian media and NGOs.[2]
Contradicts. Investigative Economics reports little evidence of USAID or other grants relating to election interference in Brazil, and says the one censorship-related State Department grant it identifies was for $1 million with no recipient designated.[3]
Context. AP reporting describes USAID's largest Brazil initiative as conservation of the Amazon, with no mention of censorship funding.[1]
Context. Claims that USAID funded censorship in Brazil come from Mike Benz's testimony and from Eduardo Bolsonaro and other officials, as reported by Rio Times, Revista Oeste, Malone News, Yahoo, and Boreal Times. These outlets repeat the allegation rather than document it, and none is an authoritative fact-checker.[4][5][6][7][8]
Context. The claim's wording is broader than the post, which describes USAID funding as a reason the right was censored. The extraction is otherwise faithful to the passage.
Sources
8 sources: 1 fact-checker, 7 not rated
- 1A look at USAID's global impact as Trump moves to shut it | AP Newsapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2Who's Afraid of USAID? | Hudson Institutehudson.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 3Amazonian Advocacy: Following USAID Grants To Brazilinvestigativeeconomics.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 4US taxpayer dollars allegedly fueled left-wing political ...yahoo.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 5USAID Interference in Brazil Raises Concerns About National ...borealtimes.org · not rated · cited for: context
- 6Explosive Allegation: Was Lula's 2022 Victory - The Rio Timesriotimesonline.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 7Brazil: When Democracy Becomes a Weapon - Malone Newsmalone.news · not rated · cited for: context
- 8Who Funds the Free Press? - Revista Oesterevistaoeste.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The US State Department, Biden Justice Department, USAID, and CIA intervened in the Brazilian election to oppose Jair Bolsonaro.False
- USAID funding for Brazil was 11 million dollars in 2018, 36 million in 2019, 48 million in 2020, and 19 million in the year Bolsonaro was defeated.False
- Brazilian Supreme Court officers received training from the FBI on how to combat disinformation and hate speech.Can’t tell
- Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Moraes has been given unilateral authority to censor what he deemed disinformation.True
- Elon Musk is suppressing pro-Lula content on X in Brazil.Can’t tell