Shifting Views on USAID: The Trumps' Changing Stance

Imagine this: the Trumps weren't always so down on USAID. Once upon a time, they were all for it. Melania and Ivanka Trump were on a roll, using USAID money to make things happen. First up, Melania Trump. She was in Africa, showing off the good that USAID was doing. "We care, and we want to show the world that we care, and I’ve partnered and am working with USAID, " Melania Trump told reporters in Egypt. She was posting about how USAID was helping out in Africa and promoting her Be Best initiative. She even visited the pyramids to see a project to preserve hieroglyphics. "The growth and success of a country starts with educating our children, " Melania Trump said at a school in Malawi. But then, the narrative flipped. Trump's administration was putting a lot of heat on USAID. They were saying it was a big waste of money.

“It’s very disturbing and clearly it’s all politics, ” said a former senior USAID official. Ivanka Trump wasn't far behind. She also used USAID money for a White House event, spending over $11, 000 on video equipment. Ivanka Trump also backed a program to empower women. She visited Africa to help out women farmers. But now, things are different. The current administration is trying to cut off a lot of the funding. The memo from the White House was harsh. Trump called the agency workers “radical left lunatics. ” They were saying that USAID was spending money on projects they didn't like. Projects like supporting diversity and inclusion and funding tourism in Egypt. A former senior USAID official was not happy with the turn of events.

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