Trump says his administration is getting rid of 'radical lunatics' at USAID

President Donald Trump has accused the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) of being run by "a bunch of radical lunatics" and vowed to get rid of them, The Hill reports.

"USAID has been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we're getting them out... and then we'll make a decision (on its future)," Trump stated.

This statement follows reports in American media, including the Associated Press, that the Trump administration suspended two top security officials at USAID after they refused to hand over classified materials in restricted areas to inspection teams led by Elon Musk.

Musk had previously claimed that USAID allegedly funded "bioweapon research, including Covid-19, that killed millions of people," using American taxpayer money, and insisted that "it is time for [the agency] to die."

On January 21, Trump ordered a 90-day suspension of all foreign aid from the United States, including USAID. The Pentagon clarified that this suspension does not affect military aid to Ukraine.

On January 28, the U.S. suspended the key U4U program for Ukrainian refugees. On January 29, The New York Times reported that the White House would resume funding for some foreign aid programs.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine would fund some critically important programs affected by the temporary freeze in U.S. funding and would negotiate with European partners for additional support.

The Ukrainian government also announced plans to negotiate with the U.S. to restore USAID funding.