Major Controversies Surrounding George Soros: A Detailed Timeline

Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to George Soros.

George Soros is a prominent American investor and philanthropist. As of March 2025, his net worth was $7.2 billion, significantly reduced by his extensive charitable contributions. He has donated over $32 billion to the Open Society Foundations, with $15 billion already distributed. This represents 64% of his original fortune. Soros was recognized by Forbes in 2020 as the 'most generous giver' based on the percentage of his net worth donated to philanthropic causes.

Sections (7)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

1989: COB Investigation of Soros's Société Générale Transaction

In 1989, the Commission des Opérations de Bourse (COB) initiated an investigation into whether Soros's transaction in Société Générale constituted insider trading. Despite initial findings of innocence, the case was later reopened, leading to a conviction in 2006.

1994: Soros's Speech on Right-to-Die and Hemlock Society

In 1994, George Soros delivered a speech where he mentioned offering to assist his mother, who was a member of the Hemlock Society, in committing suicide. During the same speech, he also voiced his endorsement for the Oregon Death with Dignity Act and subsequently provided financial support to its advertising campaign.

1997: Accusations During Asian Financial Crisis

During the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the prime minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, accused George Soros of using his wealth to punish ASEAN for welcoming Myanmar as a member. Mahathir implied Soros was orchestrating the crash as part of a larger Jewish conspiracy.

1997: Soros Fund Management Shorting of Thai Baht and Malaysian Ringgit

In 1997, Soros Fund Management, recognizing discrepancies between trade and capital accounts, strategically sold short the Thai baht and Malaysian ringgit. This involved contracts to deliver these currencies at future dates, currencies that the fund did not currently possess. Subsequently, in 1997, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir accused Soros of instigating the financial crisis, a claim Soros refuted by stating that they were buyers of the currencies during the crisis, purchasing ringgits to realize profits, although they exited too early due to fears of capital controls by Mahathir.

1997: Closure of Soros Foundation in Belarus

In 1997, Soros closed his foundation in Belarus after it was fined $3 million by the government for "tax and currency violations". Soros denounced the fines as an attempt to "destroy independent society".

1999: Paul Krugman Criticizes Soros's Effect on Financial Markets

In 1999, economist Paul Krugman voiced criticism of Soros's influence on financial markets.

September 2002: Open Society Institute donates to Lynne Stewart's defense committee

In September 2002, the Open Society Institute gave $20,000 to the Defense Committee of Lynne Stewart, a lawyer who defended controversial defendants and was sentenced to prison for providing material support for a terrorist conspiracy.

November 11, 2003: Soros's Commitment to Defeat President Bush

On November 11, 2003, George Soros stated in an interview with The Washington Post that removing President George W. Bush from office was his "central focus" and a "matter of life and death." He expressed his willingness to sacrifice his entire fortune to defeat Bush.

2003: Publication of "The Bubble of American Supremacy"

In 2003, George Soros published "The Bubble of American Supremacy", a critique of the Bush administration's "War on Terror" and a polemic against Bush's re-election. Soros drew parallels between the political context and self-reinforcing reflexive processes that create bubbles in stock prices.

2003: Soros's Comments on Antisemitism and Israeli Policies

In 2003, speaking before the Jewish Funders Network, George Soros suggested that the policies of George W. Bush's administration in the U.S. and Ariel Sharon's in Israel were contributing to antisemitism in Europe. He suggested that changing those policies would reduce antisemitism, leading to criticism from Abraham Foxman and others who accused him of blaming the victim.

September 28, 2004: Speech: "Why We Must Not Re-elect President Bush"

On September 28, 2004, George Soros kicked off a multistate tour with a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., titled "Why We Must Not Re-elect President Bush". The online transcript of this speech gained attention after a reference to FactCheck.org during the vice presidential debate inadvertently redirected traffic to Soros's site.

June 14, 2006: French Supreme Court Confirms Insider Trading Conviction

On June 14, 2006, the French Supreme Court upheld the conviction against Soros for insider trading related to his Société Générale transaction, although the penalty was reduced to €940,000.

December 2006: Appeal to the European Court of Human Rights

In December 2006, Soros appealed his insider trading conviction to the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that the 14-year delay precluded a fair hearing.

2006: Criticism of Soros's Activities in Turkey

In 2006, Ercis Kurtulus, head of the Social Transparency Movement Association (TSHD) in Turkey, criticized Soros's activities in Ukraine and Georgia and suggested banning NGOs from taking money from foreigners.

2006: Soros comments on the US as an obstacle to world order

In 2006, when asked about his statement in "The Age of Fallibility" that the United States is the main obstacle to a stable and just world order, George Soros responded that this view coincided with the prevailing opinion worldwide and criticized the 'war on terror' agenda set by the US after September 11.

2010: Soros expresses concern about China's power

In 2010, George Soros expressed concern about the growth of Chinese economic and political power and suggested China needed to accept responsibility for world order.

2010: Indirect Financial Links

In October 2011, Reuters's follow-up article also reported a Soros spokesman and Adbusters' co-founder Kalle Lasn both saying that Adbusters—the reputed catalyst for the first Occupy Wall Street protests—had never received any contributions from Soros, contrary to Reuters's earlier story that reported that "indirect financial links" existed between the two as late as 2010.

October 2011: Reuters Story Denies Soros Funding of Wall Street Protests

In October 2011, Reuters published a story titled "Soros: not a funder of Wall Street Protests" to correct an earlier report suggesting indirect financial links between Soros and the Occupy Wall Street movement. A Soros spokesman and Adbusters' co-founder Kalle Lasn denied any contributions from Soros to Adbusters.

October 2011: European Court of Human Rights Rejects Soros's Appeal

In October 2011, the European Court of Human Rights rejected Soros's appeal, stating that he was aware of the risk of breaking insider trading laws.

2012: Hungarian Government Labels Soros as an Enemy of the State

Since 2012, the Hungarian Fidesz government has labeled George Soros as an enemy of the state.

January 2015: Soros urges economic sanctions against Russia

In January 2015, George Soros said that Europe needed to recognize it was under attack from Russia and urged Western countries to expand economic sanctions against Russia for its support of separatists in eastern Ukraine.

July 2015: Soros states Putin's annexation of Crimea as a challenge

In July 2015, George Soros stated that Putin's annexation of Crimea was a challenge to the prevailing world order, specifically the European Union, and hypothesized Putin wanted to destabilize Ukraine.

October 2015: Soros criticizes Orbán's handling of migrant crisis

In October 2015, George Soros criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for prioritizing national border protection over the protection of refugees during the 2015 European migrant crisis, presenting an alternative plan.

November 2015: Russia bans Soros's Open Society Foundations

In November 2015, Russia banned the Open Society Foundations (OSF) and the Open Society Institute (OSI), two pro-democracy charities founded by George Soros, stating they posed a threat to the foundations of the constitutional system and security of the state.

December 2015: Russian intergovernmental letter released regarding Soros' charities

In December 2015, a Russian intergovernmental letter stated that George Soros's charities were forming a perverted perception of history and making ideological directives, alien to Russian ideology, popular.

2015: Accusations of Soros's Involvement in the European Migrant Crisis

In 2015, conspiracy theories emerged accusing George Soros of orchestrating the European migrant crisis by importing migrants to European countries. These theories, fueled by his Jewish identity, wealth, and philanthropy, linked him to antisemitism and Islamophobia.

2015: Disagreement over the European Migrant Crisis

The Hungarian government disagreed with Soros's involvement in the 2015 European migrant crisis.

January 2016: Books related to Soros's program withdrawn in Russia

In January 2016, 53 books related to George Soros's "Renewal of Humanitarian Education" program were withdrawn at a college in the Komi Republic, with 427 additional books seized for shredding.

January 2016: Soros predicts hard landing for China's economy

In January 2016, during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, George Soros stated that a "hard landing is practically unavoidable" for China's economy, prompting a critical response from Chinese state media.

2016: Soros's Views on Israel and Funding of NGOs

In 2016, hacked emails revealed that George Soros's Open Society Foundation aimed to challenge Israel's policies in international forums, questioning its democracy. Soros has funded NGOs critical of Israeli policies, including those supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

January 2017: Launch of "Stop Operation Soros" initiative

In January 2017, the "Stop Operation Soros" (SOS) initiative was launched in Macedonia. SOS aims to present information about Soros's global operations and encourages citizen contributions to research, with the goal of "de-Soros-ization" of Macedonia.

March 2017: US Senators Request Investigation into Soros-Funded Groups

In March 2017, six US senators requested then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to investigate grants given to groups funded by Soros. Judicial Watch also filed a lawsuit regarding USAID funds transferred to Soros's Open Society branch in Macedonia, alleging destabilization efforts.

July 2017: Hungarian Billboard Campaign Vilifying Soros

In July 2017, a Hungarian billboard campaign backed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, which was deemed anti-semitic by Jewish groups, portrayed George Soros as an enemy of the state with the slogan "Let's not allow Soros to have the last laugh". The campaign, costing approximately US$21 million, evoked memories of the Holocaust and prompted accusations of antisemitism.

2017: Soros's Criticism of Donald Trump

In 2017, George Soros described Donald Trump as a con man and predicted his failure due to self-contradictory ideas. Soros also anticipated a trade war and poor performance in financial markets under Trump's leadership.

2017: Beny Steinmetz's Lawsuit Against Soros

In 2017, Israeli businessman Beny Steinmetz filed a $10 million lawsuit against George Soros, alleging that Soros influenced the government of Guinea to freeze Steinmetz's company, BSG Resources, out of iron ore mining contracts due to animus toward Israel. Soros dismissed the suit as frivolous and a PR stunt.

2018: Hungarian Government's Anti-Soros Campaign

As the 2018 election period began, the Hungarian government launched a public campaign against Soros, using posters with statements such as "Soros wants millions of migrants to live in Hungary" and preparing the "Stop Soros package" to hinder NGOs working on the refugee crisis.

2018: Soros comments on challenges facing Europe

In 2018, George Soros highlighted major challenges facing Europe, including immigration, austerity, and potential departures from the EU. Soros stated that Europe is facing an existential crisis and advocated for a "multi-track Europe" to allow member states more choices.

January 2019: Soros labels Xi Jinping as "most dangerous opponent of open societies"

In January 2019, George Soros, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, labeled Xi Jinping as the "most dangerous opponent of open societies." He also urged the US to prevent Huawei and ZTE from dominating the 5G market and criticized China's Social Credit System.

May 2022: Soros warns of potential third world war

In May 2022, George Soros stated that the Russian invasion of Ukraine may be the start of a third world war and that Putin must be defeated as soon as possible to allow humanity to focus on other issues.

February 2023: Soros criticizes Narendra Modi for alleged Islamophobia

In February 2023, George Soros criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for alleged Islamophobia, cronyism, and authoritarianism, leading to accusations from Modi's party that Soros was trying to undermine Indian democracy.

December 2023: Accusations of Supporting Anti-Israel Organizations

In December 2023, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, accused George Soros of supporting pro-Palestinian organizations "that seek the destruction of the State of Israel as a Jewish state". Soros' son, Alexander, dismissed these accusations as "distorted and dishonest right-wing attacks."