A person looks at a smartphone displaying U.S. President Donald Trump making a statement regarding combat operations in Iran, alongside a computer screen featuring the same message posted on X on February 28, 2026. (Photo: CFP)
The United States has instructed its embassies and consulates worldwide to launch coordinated campaigns to counter so-called foreign propaganda, while endorsing X as an "innovative" tool to support those efforts, according to a cable signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 30 and obtained by The Guardian.
The cable calls on American missions to play a more active role in shaping public discourse overseas, including countering hostile messaging, expanding access to information, exposing adversary behavior, elevating local voices that support American interests, and promoting what it calls "telling America's story".
It also identifies X as a key tool, encouraging diplomats to use features such as Community Notes to challenge disinformation while working with local influencers, academics, and community figures to make messaging more resonant in local contexts.
The cable goes further, urging coordination with the Pentagon's Military Information Support Operations—a unit associated with psychological operations—suggesting a closer integration of diplomatic outreach with military-linked information capabilities.
While framed as a response to foreign influence campaigns, the directive comes amid a broader reconfiguration of Washington's own information and outreach infrastructure.
One of the earliest moves after returning to office, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on foreign aid and moved to dismantle much of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the agency established in 1961 to manage non-military assistance abroad.
Critics have long argued that USAID's programs blur the line between development assistance and political influence, particularly when funding is directed towards shaping local media environments or public opinion.
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At the same time, Washington's state-funded international broadcasting network has faced disruption. The U.S. Agency for Global Media has scaled back operations, placing a large number of Voice of America (VOA) staff on leave and cutting funding to outlets such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia.
VOA, founded during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda and later expanded during the Cold War, has for decades served as a key vehicle for projecting U.S. narratives globally, broadcasting in dozens of languages.
Its editorial independence has been questioned, with critics alleging that it serves as a mouthpiece for Washington's geopolitical interests, particularly in countries targeted for regime change.
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Taken together, the developments suggest a shift in how Washington seeks to influence information environments abroad, moving away from large institutional programs towards a more decentralized approach built around embassies, digital platforms, and local networks.
Reporter | Liu Xiaodi
