White House Criticizes Human Rights Watch
The White House expressed disapproval on Wednesday regarding what it called the “blatant hypocrisy” of Human Rights Watch (HRW), a left-leaning organization. This came after HRW’s executive director accused the U.S. of being “hostile to human rights,” particularly in response to President Trump’s peace agreement.
In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, HRW Executive Director Philippe Boropion claimed that the Trump administration shows “ignorance for human rights and the rule of law.” The White House responded sharply, suggesting that HRW relies on significant financial support from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
White House press secretary Olivia Wales stated, “So-called ‘Human Rights Watch’ claims to support ‘human rights’ while attacking life-saving peace agreements, opposing the deportation of criminal illegal aliens who threaten public safety, and supporting surgeries on transgender youth that endanger vulnerable children. This is blatant hypocrisy. The far-left Human Rights Watch deserves no credibility whatsoever.”
During the interview, Boropion criticized the government’s comments regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minneapolis and the funding network of Soros’ Open Society Foundations. He labeled the deaths of Alex Preti and Renee Good as legally unjustified, questioning ICE’s policing approach.
He also raised concerns about whether HRW might face issues when attempting to return to the U.S., given the government’s stance towards the Open Society Foundations.
After Trump signed a memorandum addressing domestic terrorism in September, he mentioned the Antifa rioters in Portland, labeling them “bad people” backed by wealthy funders. When queried about who he meant, Trump referenced Soros, among others, stating, “You hear the same names; they’re bad and we’re going to investigate.”
As Wales pointed out, HRW had previously criticized Trump’s Gaza peace plan as “not a substitute for emergency action in Gaza” and even called out FIFA for awarding Trump the first FIFA Peace Prize in December.
Despite HRW’s long-standing activism against Israel, it reportedly did not condemn Iran’s attack on an Israeli hospital in June, as noted by the Washington Free Beacon. In December, Boropion remarked that the Washington Accords peace agreement brokered by Trump between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda “promises but offers little more.”
HRW has taken a strong stand for the rights of transgender children. In response to Trump’s executive orders banning certain medical procedures for minors and ensuring the protection of women’s sports, HRW claimed these actions represented a “federal attack on the rights of transgender people.”
According to InfluenceWatch, HRW receives substantial funding from left-leaning foundations like Soros’ and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Notably, the Open Society Foundations pledged $100 million to HRW over a ten-year period, beginning in 2010.
HRW has criticized the U.S. as a human rights violator even before Trump took office, a trend that has persisted. The former HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth labeled Trump and other leaders as “anti-rights activists” in 2019. Boropion recently shared HRW’s 2026 World Report focused on the U.S., suggesting that Trump would overlook “atrocities” for diplomatic reasons.
While HRW leaders have voiced opposition to Trump, it is interesting to note that HRW employees donated $11,909.04 to Biden and Harris in the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, with no contributions made to Trump or his Republican competitors.
