Critics have called the move a setback for democracy but Beijing's state newspaper Global Times denounced VOA for its "appalling track record" in reporting on China and said it has "now been discarded by its own government like a dirty rag".

The dismantling of the international broadcaster and other U.S. government-funded news outlets was criticized as another blow to U.S. soft power efforts.

One nationalist influencer called it “truly gratifying.” Another said he was laughing his head off. And a state-media editorial hailed the demise of what it called the “lie factory.”