Cambodia’s Hun Sen lauds Trump gutting US-funded media outlets

Cambodia’s Hun Sen has backed US President Donald Trump’s move to axe Voice of America and other US-funded broadcasters, which have long been critical of the influential former strongman.

Hun Sen ruled Cambodia with an iron fist for nearly four decades, shutting down multiple independent media outlets, and the kingdom places near the bottom of international press freedom rankings.

Trump signed an order on Friday freezing Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe and other outlets as part of his sweeping cuts to federal government spending.

Hun Sen welcomed the move, praising Trump for “his courage to lead the world in combating fake news, starting with news outlets funded by the US government”.

“This is a major contribution to eliminating fake news, disinformation, lies, distortions, incitement, and chaos around the world, coming from the propaganda machine that President Trump has stopped funding,” Hun Sen said in a statement issued late on Monday.

The veteran leader, who handed power to his son Hun Manet in 2023, has been the subject of critical reporting by Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.