What’s behind Trump’s war on USAID?
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 748 Ratings
🗓️ 5 February 2025
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
USAID, America’s lead aid agency, could also be nearing its end, after US President Donald Trump ordered a halt to foreign aid. Trump said the agency was run by "lunatics", while billionaire Elon Musk called it "criminal".The US provides $72bn to 180 countries – but that aid has come under criticism in the past. So, what would it mean to pull the plug on USAID?
In this episode:
- Anuradha Mittal (@Mittaloak), executive director, Oakland Institute
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Amy Walters, Sonia Bhagat, and Sarí el-Khalili, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Hagir Saleh, Khaled Soltan, Melanie Marich, Hanah Shokeir, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Today, what happens if billions of dollars in U.S. aid suddenly stops? |
| 0:17.0 | This is really an insurrection that happened on January 6th. |
| 0:20.0 | This is right now a coup of the government that has been carried out by Elon Musk. |
| 0:25.7 | What the changes at USAID could mean for the United States and the rest of the world? |
| 0:33.4 | I'm Kevin Horton, and this is The Take. |
| 0:47.7 | Breaking overnight, workers at the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, in Washington, |
| 0:54.5 | were told to stay home this morning. The main office closed. They received an email shortly after midnight telling them don't come in. In the early morning hours of Saturday, February 1st, personnel acting on behalf of |
| 1:01.6 | the world's richest man, who is acting on behalf of the president of the United States, barged |
| 1:06.7 | their way into secure areas of USAID. Elon Musk has been tasked by President Trump to downsize the federal government and bring |
| 1:15.6 | it in line with Trump's America First policies. |
| 1:19.6 | The opposition usually doesn't work on the weekend, but we do, Elon Musk posted on X. |
| 1:24.6 | It was part of a broader effort to bring the agency to heal and possibly shut it down. |
| 1:30.6 | U.S. President Donald Trump also attacked the organization. |
| 1:34.2 | It's been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we're getting them out. |
| 1:39.0 | USAID, run by radical lunatics, and we're getting them out, and then we'll make a decision. |
| 1:49.2 | So now the fate of the agency providing almost half of the world's humanitarian aid hangs in the balance. |
| 1:56.3 | I was born and raised in India, did all my schooling in India. So I've had the opportunity to see firsthand what policies of the West do to countries |
| 2:07.1 | which gain freedom and yet remain colonized. |
| 2:10.3 | So that led to me wanting to investigate and understand how so-called development happens |
| 2:15.5 | or does not happen. |
| 2:21.4 | And found myself in the United States, |
... |
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