Donald Trump has a lot to say about the ongoing DOGE vs USAID row. The president launched a brutal attack on the agency, but his rant kicked off with a major spelling mistake that attracted some buzz. On Monday, the current administration announced that USAID will be merged with the State Department. It came amid the chaotic situation after Elon Musk said that the agency would be dismantled completely.
Since then, career staffers have been put on leave, and many contractors have been laid off.
In addition, international staffers have been ordered to return from different parts of the globe, while back home, employees have been told to be at USAID headquarters in Washington. More than Trump’s administration, it was mostly Elon Musk’s DOGE that had a greater hand in overriding USAID leadership. DOGE employees have been heavily criticized for their claimed lack of experience and ungraceful methods. So, their target at USAID came at a cost.
So, Donald Trump had to come to the rescue himself. On the morning of February 6, he made a bombshell post on his Truth Social account in all caps – “LOOKS LIKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAVE BEEN STOLLEN (sic) AT USAID, AND OTHER AGENCIES, MUCH OF IT GOING TO THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA AS A ‘PAYOFF’ FOR CREATING GOOD STORIES ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS. THE LEFT WING ‘RAG,’ KNOWN AS ‘POLITICO,’ SEEMS TO HAVE RECEIVED $8,000,000.”
However, he made a major spelling mistake right off the bat, as mentioned “(sic)” above. Trump’s White House and misspelling go quite hand in hand. On his Truth Social account, the 78-year-old president often makes such major spelling errors.
Meanwhile, while ranting about the current USAID situation, he had to add, “Did the New York Times receive money??? Who else did??? THIS COULD BE THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL, PERHAPS THE BIGGEST IN HISTORY! THE DEMOCRATS CAN’T HIDE FROM THIS ONE. TOO BIG, TOO DIRTY.”
Trump said USAID was funding “fake news media” with billions of dollars to create good stories about Democrats. pic.twitter.com/5HNycAro8G
— Sprinter Observer (@SprinterObserve) February 6, 2025
While he might have thought that he came prepared to the pavilion, critics think otherwise. According to RAW STORY, experts pointed out that Trump’s complain about USAID money going to Politico is completely invalid. The claim, which was initially circulated by Benny Johnson and Turning Point USA head Charlie Kirk, has been debunked for a long time.
According to CNN’s reports, Associated Press investigative journalist Byron Tau wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I looked at these contracts and I have my own fun fact.”
He noted that these are occurring because not just USAID but also other agencies are buying subscriptions to Politico’s Pro editorial product. Tau emphasized that it is not because Politico is receiving any grant or federal funding.
