Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, along with U2 frontman Bono, convened on Monday to offer support to USAID employees and to deliver some final criticisms of President Donald Trump following the agency’s closure due to fraud and mismanagement.
“The dismantling of USAID is a disgrace, and it is a tragedy,” Obama stated in a video message directed at the departing staff, as reported by The New York Post. “This agency is responsible for some of the most vital work being conducted globally.”
He described the decision as “a monumental error” and remarked, “Eventually, leaders from both political parties will come to understand how essential your contributions are.”
Bush, Obama, and Bono participated via videoconference to address USAID personnel as the agency was officially closed after a federal investigation into corruption and misconduct. Although media representatives were not present, the Associated Press reviewed clips from the event.
USAID, established during the Kennedy administration, was designed to provide foreign economic assistance. However, earlier this year, it became one of the initial targets of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which was created by President Trump to eliminate government waste. The then-head of DOGE, Elon Musk, criticized the agency, labeling it as “a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who despise America.”
On Tuesday, USAID was officially integrated into the State Department.
In an unusual public criticism, Bush, who has generally refrained from condemning Trump, remarked that the closure signifies the end of a significant aspect of his presidency—the AIDS and HIV relief initiative, which is credited with saving 25 million lives worldwide.
“You have demonstrated the tremendous strength of America through your efforts—and that reflects your compassionate spirit,” Bush conveyed to the staff. “Is it in our national interest that 25 million individuals who would have perished are now alive? I believe it is, and so do you.”
Bono recited a poem he composed to commemorate the agency’s closure, asserting that it would result in extensive suffering.
“They referred to you as crooks. Yet, you were the finest among us,” he remarked.
The Associated Press reported that Bono and Obama expressed strong emotions in their statements, while Bush remained concentrated on his legacy. Fox News Digital attempted to contact the offices of both former presidents but did not receive any reply.
Bono has previously asserted that reducing USAID funding would result in hundreds of thousands of fatalities. In 2016, he criticized Trump as “potentially the worst idea that ever occurred in America.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who acted as USAID’s administrator during its final weeks, declared that the State Department would assume all foreign aid responsibilities going forward.
“Aside from establishing a global NGO industrial complex at the expense of taxpayers, USAID has little to demonstrate since the conclusion of the Cold War,” Rubio stated in his announcement.
“Development goals have seldom been achieved, instability has frequently increased, and anti-American feelings have only intensified.”
“This period of government-sanctioned inefficiency has officially concluded,” he continued. “Under the Trump Administration, we will finally establish a foreign funding mission in America that prioritizes our national interests.”
He indicated that starting July 1, USAID “will officially stop implementing foreign assistance.”
“Foreign assistance initiatives that align with administration policies—and which promote American interests—will be managed by the State Department, where they will be executed with greater accountability, strategy, and efficiency.”
The closure of USAID follows DOGE’s initiative in early 2025 to eliminate federal waste. Trump has consistently praised DOGE, including during a March address to Congress where he highlighted $22 billion in identified waste, which included significant expenditures at USAID.
“Forty-five million dollars allocated for scholarships focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in Burma,” Trump stated, providing specific instances. “Forty million designated to enhance the social and economic inclusion of sedentary migrants. The meaning of this is unclear.
“Eight million aimed at promoting LGBTQI+ rights in the African country of Lesotho, a place that is largely unknown. Sixty million dollars earmarked for the empowerment of indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombians in Central America. Sixty million. Additionally, eight million for initiatives to transition mice to a transgender state,” he continued.
