The facts
The Trump administration pressured several governments to withdraw their sponsorship of the European disinformation conference #Disinfo2026, which was held in a hotel in Vilnius, Lithuania. Canada, Lithuania and the EU’s diplomatic service all agreed to pull their support, according to the Guardian. Days before the event, the logos of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Global Affairs Canada were removed from the conference website, and photos show white stickers covering those logos on printed materials. Three sources familiar with the matter, including European officials, confirmed that the U.S. State Department had been in contact with the governments about their participation. Internal State Department documents thanked Lithuania for “taking US concerns seriously” and praised its decision to limit involvement after a panel titled “USA as a FIMI threat: adapt, acknowledge, push back” was scheduled. Nina Jankowicz, a former U.S. official and disinformation expert, said the pressure was an attempt to keep the United States from being portrayed as a disinformation actor in Europe. France, by contrast, said it had no reason to change its commitment to the conference.
Our take
The Trump administration turned the Vilnius disinformation conference into its personal bitch‑show, demanding Canada, Lithuania and the EU yank their logos days before the doors opened. The result? Literal stickers slapped over the Lithuanian ministry, EEAS and Global Affairs Canada marks on every printed program, like a toddler trying to hide broccoli under a napkin. Internal State Department notes praised Lithuania for suddenly finding the panel “USA as a FIMI threat” reprehensible, even though the schedule had sat unchanged for months. The same officials who hosted the event without complaint developed an instant allergy the second Sarah B. Rogers’ office rang the alarm bell. Nina Jankowicz called the move exactly what it was: pressure to keep anyone from noticing the US now counts as a disinformation actor in Europe. France kept its commitments and told the rest to piss off. The real joke sits in the office‑supply solution. A superpower that floods the planet with its own bullshit now requires allies to treat a single panel title like a visible dick print that must be covered with stickers before anyone sees it. Every removed logo and covered nameplate proves the same brittle vanity: America First means America never discussed, never questioned, never held to the standards it demands of others. The conference that once treated Washington as a partner now treats it like the threat it actually is, and the only defense left is a roll of adhesive and a spine made of wet cardboard.
