President Donald Trump unleashed an angry rant Thursday about the U.S. Agency for International Development. He falsely claimed billions of dollars had been stolen there to fund pro-Democrat media. But only hours later, CNN posted video of Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeatedly praising USAID in the past and describing foreign aid as crucial to U.S. national interests. So what position will Rubio be put in if Trump and Elon Musk continue trying to destroy USAID? We talked to Jeremy Konyndyk, a former USAID official, who explains why Rubio will inevitably clash with Trump and Musk, their dark and unstated reasons for attacking USAID, and why the humanitarian consequences of all this are terrible to contemplate. Listen to this episode here.
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Trump’s Angry Rant at USAID Instantly Undercut by Surprise Rubio Video
As video surfaces of Secretary of State Marco Rubio praising USAID, a former USAID official explains why Rubio will run into sharp conflict with the Trump-Musk drive to destroy it, with awful global consequences.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Guatemala City on February 5, 2025