President Trump on Sunday slammed the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), arguing it is poorly run after recent news reports that he is considering merging the agency with the State Department.
The president told reporters that his administration will get the “lunatics” out of the agency before a decision is made about its future.
“It’s been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out. USAID, run by radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out, and then we’ll make a decision,” Trump said.
USAID sends aid to communities impacted by conflicts and assists developing countries on many aspects. Democrats have slammed Trump over the reports about USAID joining the State Department, noting that the agency is “by statute, an independent establishment.”
Trump also praised billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk on Sunday night, after reports that two top USAID security officials were put on leave after trying to stop the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk leads, from accessing its systems.
Trump, while calling Musk smart, said though that he won’t always listen to his advice on cutting costs in the federal government.
“I think Elon is doing a good job. He’s a big cost-cutter. Sometimes we won’t agree with it and we’ll not go where he wants to go. But I think he’s doing a great job. He’s a smart guy. Very smart. And he’s very much into cutting the budget of our federal budget.”
DOGE aides tried to access the USAID headquarters, which is located in Washington, D.C., and demanded to be let in, CNN reported, citing two sources. They wanted access to security systems and personnel files.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is looking at legal pathways that the president could utilize to sign an executive order that would end USAID’s independence, Reuters reported on Friday.
Trump recently signed an executive order to freeze foreign assistance for three months and directed officials to conduct a review of all of the programs to ensure they align with his vision of U.S. foreign policy.
