U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk criticized the foreign aid agency USAID during a White House press conference on Tuesday (February 11), calling it “incompetent” and “corrupt.”
Musk, recently appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency, acknowledged that USAID “does some worthy things” but argued the agency does “too much” to influence elections in “dubious ways” that “do not stand the light of day.”
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Trump responded by reaffirming his commitment to oversight, stating he was elected to ensure honesty in government. He added that his scrutiny would extend beyond USAID to areas like education and the military.
As the chief U.S. humanitarian agency, USAID became the first target of Musk’s effort to downsize the federal government. Trump’s January 20 order to freeze most U.S. foreign aid, aligning with his "America First" policy, halted hundreds of programs worth billions of dollars in global aid.
Following the order, USAID staff were placed on leave, instructed not to report to headquarters, and its signage was removed or covered. The agency’s website went offline, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio was appointed acting administrator.
(Production: Jose Pablo Diaz)