‘CLOSE IT DOWN’: Trump says ‘corrupt’ USAID must be shuttered

Trump posted to Truth Social, "USAID IS DRIVING THE RADICAL LEFT CRAZY, AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT BECAUSE THE WAY IN WHICH THE MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT, SO MUCH OF IT FRAUDULENTLY, IS TOTALLY UNEXPLAINABLE. THE CORRUPTION IS AT LEVELS RARELY SEEN BEFORE. CLOSE IT DOWN!"

Over the past two weeks, USAID has come under a microscope after the Trump administration pushed out dozens of career officials at the agency, as well as ordered a pause on foreign aid programs. USAID officials were placed on leave over the weekend as Musk said that Trump was determining whether or not to close down the agency.

On Monday, an email was sent out to staffers, saying that they show up at the Washinton, DC headquarters for the agency. Musk also compared the corruption and waste in the agency to a “ball of worms” as opposed to an apple with a worm in it, illustrating that he thought USAID was “beyond repair.”

These changes come as Musk as well as the DOGE staff have taken the lead in the Trump administration to minimize government spending as much as possible. Musk’s goal for the first year is to reduce federal spending by $1 trillion.

In a press release, the White House published examples of wasteful spending from USAID, including $1.5 million to “advance diversity equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities,” $70,000 for a “DEI musical” in Ireland, $47,000 for a “transgender opera” in the country of Columbia, as well as many other examples.