‘Beyond Repair’: Musk Says Trump Has Given The Go-Ahead To ‘Get Rid Of’ USAID
Elon Musk said early Monday morning that he had received President Donald Trump’s approval to eliminate the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Musk made the comments during a discussion on X with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) as they talked about the work of what Trump has called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The ...
Elon Musk said early Monday morning that he had received President Donald Trump’s approval to eliminate the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Musk made the comments during a discussion on X with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) as they talked about the work of what Trump has called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The website for USAID, which spends tens of billions of dollars every year on various programs around the world, appears to have been shut down on Saturday.
“It became apparent that it’s not an apple with a worm in it,” Musk said. “What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.”
Musk said that he discussed USAID, which he referred to as a “hornet’s nest,” with Trump multiple times “in detail and he agreed that we should shut it down,” saying that none of the reforms he was pushing for “could be done without the full support of the president.”
Musk added that Trump said “yes” several times after being asked if he was certain he wanted to shut down USAID.
“So we’re shutting it down,” Musk said.
“It is also incredibly politically partisan and has been supporting radical Left causes throughout the world, including things that are anti-American which is insane,” he added.
In recent years, USAID has pushed programs like “comprehensive sexuality education” abroad and spent nearly $2 billion promoting the COVID vaccine around the world.
Ernst said that any program administered by USAID that may actually benefit America should be moved under the jurisdiction of the State Department.
During the same discussion, Musk said that the unelected bureaucracy entrenched throughout the federal government was the fourth branch of government, and the most powerful.
After the discussion with Ernst, Musk made several posts on X continuing to attack USAID.
“We spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper. Could [have] gone to some great parties. Did that instead,” Musk said.
In another post, Musk said the agency was a “criminal organization” and that it was “time for it to die.”
Trump told reporters Sunday night that his administration was working on getting political radicals out of the organization.
“It’s been run by a bunch of radical lunatics. And we’re getting them out,” he said.
President Donald Trump: “It has been run by a bunch of radical lunatics and we’re getting them out… USAID, run by radical lunatics… and then we’ll make a decision”
— America (@america) February 3, 2025
USAID workers were told Monday to work from home unless their job required them to be at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“Agency personnel normally assigned to work at USAID headquarters will work remotely … with the exception of personnel with essential on-site and building maintenance functions individually contacted by senior leadership,” an email to staff read.
The email came after two top security officials were reportedly placed on leave after they refused to cooperate with DOGE over the weekend.
Originally Published at Daily Wire, World Net Daily, or The Blaze
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