{"id":2398717,"date":"2025-02-04T13:10:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T18:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-karoline-leavitt-pulls-out-insane-list-of-usaid-expenditures-as-reporter-frets-about-humanitarian-aid\/"},"modified":"2025-02-04T13:13:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T18:13:50","slug":"watch-karoline-leavitt-pulls-out-insane-list-of-usaid-expenditures-as-reporter-frets-about-humanitarian-aid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-karoline-leavitt-pulls-out-insane-list-of-usaid-expenditures-as-reporter-frets-about-humanitarian-aid\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch: Karoline Leavitt Pulls Out \u2018Insane&#8217; List of USAID Expenditures as Reporter Frets About &#8216;Humanitarian Aid\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwatch-karoline-leavitt-pulls-out-insane-list-of-usaid-expenditures-as-reporter-frets-about-humanitarian-aid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2398717&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Recent events\u200c have highlighted \u2062a meaningful \u200bshift in U.S.government\u200c priorities, notably\u200c concerning the United States\u200d Agency for International \u2063Development \u200d(USAID).\u200b Under President\u200d Donald Trump&#8217;s administration, Elon Musk, a prominent figure in the\u2063 tech\u200c world and ally of Trump, has been given a mandate too scrutinize and potentially dismantle parts of the federal government, specifically targeting USAID.<\/p>\n<p>musk has been vocal about his anti-USAID \u200cstance on social media, referring to the agency as a &#8220;criminal institution&#8221; and criticizing its funding \u200dof various\u200d overseas projects he deems frivolous \u200cor\u2064 mismanaged. Among the examples cited by the White House press\u2063 secretary, Karoline Leavitt, are expenditures on diversity, equity, and\u200b inclusion \u2063(DEI) initiatives in foreign countries, which Musk argues waste \u200dtaxpayer\u200d money.this includes projects like a DEI musical in Ireland and a transgender opera in Colombia. Leavitt defended Musk as a businessman \u200bwith \u2064common\u2064 sense, arguing that taxpayers deserve better allocation\u200d of their funds.<\/p>\n<p>Further compounding\u2062 this controversy, Musk has made claims linking USAID to nefarious activities, including allegations of funding\u200b bioweapon research related to COVID-19.He has shared these views widely online, provoking strong reactions from democrats who perceive these attacks as an assault on essential governmental functions. Musk&#8217;s\u2063 critiques also led former \u2063State Department official Mike \u200dBenz to assert\u2062 that USAID is involved in dark operations akin to those typically associated with intelligence agencies.<\/p>\n<p>the narrative around USAID is \u2064evolving, as Musk and\u200d Trump\u2019s administration seek \u200bto reshape \u2062the narrative around American foreign aid, focusing on waste and\u200b perceived corruption, which resonates with certain factions of\u200c the American public skeptical of overseas spending.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_5)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_6)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_7)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>In general, struggling Americans have a natural and righteous aversion to seeing their tax dollars wasted overseas. Thus, White House <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-say-bidens-female-led-comms-is-a-first-trump-has-that-now\/\" title=\"Media Say Biden&#039;s Female...Led Comms Is A First. ... Has That Now\">press secretary<\/a> Karoline Leavitt took exactly the correct approach when dealing with pearl-clutching reporters.<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt, however, barely scratched the surface of what attentive observers on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platform<\/a> X expect to find now that President Donald Trump and his top advisors, including Trump ally and X owner Elon Musk, have put the United States Agency for International Development under the proverbial microscope.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Monday, Leavitt responded to a snarky question about Musk&rsquo;s level of expertise in &ldquo;humanitarian aid&rdquo; first by defending Musk as a common-sense businessman and then by citing a list of &ldquo;insane&rdquo; overseas projects funded by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/marco-rubio-takes-embattled-usaid-vows-big-changes-completely-unresponsive-agency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USAID<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt began by characterizing Musk as a &ldquo;once-in-a-generation business leader,&rdquo; as well as a &ldquo;great ally and a friend to the president.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And I think Elon Musk also has a little bit of common sense,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;And I think the American people really appreciate that when it comes to the federal government because it seems like all common sense has been lost in this city.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Moments later, the press secretary pulled a piece of paper from her coat pocket.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Here&rsquo;s the reason why Elon Musk and others have been taking a look,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt then described an &ldquo;insane&rdquo; array of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tone-deaf-nfl-commissioner-doubles-dei-ahead-super-bowl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DEI<\/a>-related overseas projects: &ldquo;$1.5 million to advance DEI in Serbia&rsquo;s workplaces, $70,000 for production of a DEI musical in Ireland, $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia, [and] $32,000 for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marco-rubio-takes-over-embattled-usaid-vows-big-changes-to-completely-unresponsive-agency\/\" title=\"Marco Rubio Takes Over Embattled ..., Vows Big Changes to &#039;Completely Unresponsive ...&#039;\">transgender comic book<\/a> in Peru.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know about you,&rdquo; the press secretary then said to the reporters, &ldquo;but as an American taxpayer, I don&rsquo;t want my dollars going towards this crap, and I know the American people don&rsquo;t either, and that&rsquo;s exactly what Elon Musk has been tasked by President Trump to do: to get the fraud, waste, and abuse out of our federal government.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Readers may view Leavitt&rsquo;s full response in the YouTube video below.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Pdw31c6HPCI?si=Ee-PWPq2O3ON1m7q\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Of course, no sane person wants American tax dollars funding DEI-related projects anywhere, least of all overseas. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-karoline-leavitt-take-apart-dei-may-single-best-line-history-wh-news-briefings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Leavitt<\/a>, therefore, answered the reporter&rsquo;s question in exactly the right way.<\/p>\n<p>In a larger sense, however, the press secretary told only a fraction of the truth about USAID. And she could hardly have revealed more. After all, Trump almost certainly has not yet decided what to do about that sinister organization.<\/p>\n<p>To understand why, recall in February 2024 when conservative commentator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-laughing-tucker-casually-shreds-piers-morgans-claims-uk-free\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tucker Carlson<\/a> interviewed former State Department official Mike Benz. As a longtime admirer of Carlson, I personally found it one of the most eye-opening interviews he has ever conducted.<\/p>\n<p>In short, Benz displayed encyclopedia knowledge of what he regularly calls &ldquo;The Blob.&rdquo; By that, he means the national-security state, including the Central Intelligence Agency, State Department, and Pentagon, as well as a host of non-governmental organizations and other agencies, including USAID, that engage, for instance, in regime-change operations overseas while censoring Americans&rsquo; speech at home.<\/p>\n<p>Benz called it &ldquo;military rule&rdquo; and &ldquo;the inversion of democracy.&rdquo; Readers may view the entire hourlong interview in the clip below.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Ep. 75 The national security state is the main driver of censorship and election interference in the United States. &ldquo;What I&rsquo;m describing is military rule,&rdquo; says Mike Benz. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the inversion of democracy.&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hDTEjAf89T\">pic.twitter.com\/hDTEjAf89T<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TuckerCarlson\/status\/1758529993280205039?\">February 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, as promised during the 2024 campaign, Trump has tasked Musk with helping to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-gops-plan-for-medicaid-work-requirements-would-mean\/\" title=\"What GOP\u2019s plan for Medicaid work requirements would mean\">curb government spending<\/a>. To that end, the president established <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/elon-announces-unexpected-title-doge-says-hardly-glorious\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Musk<\/a> as the head of a new informal Department of Government Efficiency.<\/p>\n<p>Over the weekend, Musk&rsquo;s DOGE gained access to the U.S. Treasury&rsquo;s payments system. Almost immediately, he began sharing information about USAID on X.<\/p>\n<p>Not long ago, some of what he d would have been regarded as Earth-shaking. Perhaps it still should.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, on Sunday Musk confirmed that USAID funded the research that led to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/fauci-finally-admits-everyone-already-knew-6-feet-covid-rule-humiliating-testimony\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">COVID-19<\/a>. He called it &ldquo;bioweapon research.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Did you know that USAID, using YOUR tax dollars, funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people?&rdquo; Musk casually posted.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Did you know that USAID, using YOUR tax dollars, funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YVwyKA7ifs\">https:\/\/t.co\/YVwyKA7ifs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1886129005759262964?\">February 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Likewise, USAID used taxpayer funds for the purpose of &ldquo;paying media organizations to publish their propaganda.&rdquo; Chalk up another victory for the conspiracy theorists.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">USAID has been paying media organizations to publish their propaganda <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/L3rXRt3yxy\">https:\/\/t.co\/L3rXRt3yxy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1886143806476583310?\">February 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/elon-musk-nominated-nobel-peace-prize\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Musk<\/a> referred to USAID as a &ldquo;criminal organization&rdquo; and a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">radical-left political psy op<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">USAID is a criminal organization <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Xzl70dmow1\">https:\/\/t.co\/Xzl70dmow1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1886317363953279401?\">February 3, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Because USAID is\/was a radical-left political psy op <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Th10uk7dQe\">https:\/\/t.co\/Th10uk7dQe<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1886449983483748472?\">February 3, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Tellingly, elected Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/amid-dem-outrage-usaid-ernst-sets-record-straight-potentially-shuttered-agency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">went positively apoplectic<\/a> over USAID&rsquo;s exposure. And Musk knew why.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re just mad that their shadow government is being dismantled lol,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">They&rsquo;re just mad that their shadow government is being dismantled lol <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TOYG4P9ITa\">https:\/\/t.co\/TOYG4P9ITa<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1886676896882065674?\">February 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Musk&rsquo;s flurry of USAID-related activity once again brought Benz to the forefront.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;USAID funds the darkest projects known to mankind. Here&rsquo;s a shortlist,&rdquo; Benz wrote as an introduction to one of his video interviews.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">USAID funds the darkest projects known to mankind. Here&rsquo;s a shortlist: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hzm6iFFzw6\">https:\/\/t.co\/hzm6iFFzw6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeBenzCyber\/status\/1886569998497313139?\">February 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Chillingly, Benz also characterized USAID as more sinister than the CIA.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When it&rsquo;s too dirty for the CIA, you give it to USAID,&rdquo; Benz wrote.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, he added, &ldquo;I once joked to a friend that the CIA wasn&rsquo;t ruthless enough to kill JFK, but maybe USAID did,&rdquo; referring to the 1963 assassination of President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/declassified-trump-keeps-promise-demands-truth-happened-jfk-rfk-mlk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John F. Kennedy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">When it&rsquo;s too dirty for the CIA, you give it to USAID.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeBenzCyber\/status\/1886594396038066344?\">February 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I once joked to a friend that the CIA wasn&rsquo;t ruthless enough to kill JFK, but maybe USAID did<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeBenzCyber\/status\/1886596221294268498?\">February 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In short, Leavitt had it right. But, in all likelihood, she had authorization from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/happening-trump-moves-dismantle-department-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trump<\/a> to reveal only so much.<\/p>\n<p>If Musk and Benz have it right, then overseas DEI projects constitute the least of Americans&rsquo; concerns. Democrats have rallied around USAID not because they love humanitarianism, and certainly not because USAID promotes humanitarianism, but because USAID represents the financial heart of the diabolical <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/deep-state-sabotaging-trump-malicious-compliance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deep state<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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In this context, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt effectively addressed concerned reporters. However, she only touched on the broader issues that users on the social media platform X anticipate regarding President Donald Trump and his close associates, including Elon Musk, scrutinizing the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). During a press briefing outside the White House on Monday, Leavitt responded to a sarcastic inquiry about Musk&#8217;s expertise in &#8220;humanitarian aid&#8221; by defending him as a pragmatic businessman and highlighting some questionable overseas projects funded by USAID. She described Musk as a &#8220;once-in-a-generation business leader&#8221; and emphasized that he possesses common sense\u2014something she feels is lacking in Washington. <\/p>\n<p>Shortly after, Leavitt presented examples of what she deemed &#8220;insane&#8221; DEI-related initiatives funded by USAID: $1.5 million for promoting DEI in Serbian workplaces; $70,000 for producing a DEI-themed musical in Ireland; $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia; and $32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru. She expressed her disapproval of taxpayer dollars being allocated to such projects and asserted that many Americans share her sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>While no reasonable person supports using American tax funds for DEI initiatives abroad\u2014Leavitt&#8217;s response was appropriate\u2014she only revealed part of the truth about USAID\u2019s activities. It seems Trump has yet to determine how to address this controversial agency.<\/p>\n<p>To understand this situation better, one can refer back to February 2024 when conservative commentator Tucker Carlson interviewed former State Department official Mike Benz. Benz provided extensive insights into what he calls \u201cThe Blob,\u201d which encompasses various national security entities like the CIA and State Department alongside organizations like USAID involved in overseas regime-change efforts while suppressing domestic speech.<\/p>\n<p>Benz characterized this system as \u201cmilitary rule\u201d and an \u201cinversion of democracy.\u201d Meanwhile, during his 2024 campaign promises aimed at reducing government spending were fulfilled when Trump appointed Musk to lead an informal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Recently gaining access to U.S Treasury payment systems allowed Musk to start sharing information about USAID on X.<\/p>\n<p>Musk made headlines by claiming that USAID financed research leading to COVID-19\u2014a statement he labeled as \u201cbioweapon research.\u201d He also alleged that taxpayer money was used by USAID to pay media outlets for disseminating propaganda while referring to it as both a &#8220;criminal organization&#8221; and part of radical-left political operations.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats reacted strongly against these revelations from Musk because they understood it threatened their interests within what he termed their &#8220;shadow government.&#8221; As discussions around these topics intensified online with figures like Benz asserting that USAID funds some of humanity&#8217;s darkest projects\u2014even suggesting it might be more nefarious than the CIA\u2014it became clear there are deeper concerns surrounding its operations beyond just funding DEI initiatives abroad.<\/p>\n<p>In summary, while Leavitt correctly highlighted issues with specific programs funded by USAID during her remarks\u2014likely under Trump&#8217;s directive\u2014the full extent of concerns regarding this agency remains largely unaddressed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2398718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Leavitt.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32412,43292,32435,34809,49792],"class_list":["post-2398717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-government-spending","tag-humanitarian-aid","tag-karoline-leavitt","tag-news-report","tag-usaid-expenditures"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Leavitt.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2398717"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2398721,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398717\/revisions\/2398721"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2398718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2398717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2398717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2398717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}