United States President Donald Trump has raised concerns over what he describes as large-scale fraud in foreign aid distributed by previous U.S. administrations to various nations across Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Speaking at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Trump criticized the spending of hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars on projects and contracts he deemed questionable.
The list of recipient countries includes Cambodia, Czechia, India, Kosovo, Liberia, Mali, Moldova, Mozambique, Nepal, Serbia, South Africa, and Uganda, among others.
The remarks came after Trump signed three new presidential memoranda aimed at enhancing government accountability and fiscal transparency.
These latest directives add to the wave of executive actions he has implemented since returning to office.
The newly signed orders focus on “radical transparency about wasteful spending,” “ensuring accountability for all agencies,” and “expanding access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.”
Elon Musk’s Findings on Government Spending
Trump expressed frustration over the level of financial mismanagement uncovered by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is led by Elon Musk.
“They are finding levels of fraud and waste and abuse I think nobody ever thought possible,” Trump said.
He went on to highlight his administration’s rapid progress, contrasting it with that of his predecessors.
“Incredible things are happening in our country,” Trump stated. “We’ve made more progress in three weeks than they made in four years, especially with respect to the reputation of our country. People are respecting us again.”
When asked about Musk’s role in the administration—particularly in light of a White House court filing stating that the billionaire has no formal decision-making authority—Trump defended the Tesla CEO.
Calling Musk “a patriot,” the president acknowledged his contributions in uncovering questionable expenditures.
Unveiling Billions in Foreign Expenditures
Reading from a document detailing DOGE’s findings, Trump shared startling figures about U.S. funds allocated to projects abroad, including:
– $520 million for environmental, social, and governance investments in Africa.
– $25 million for promoting biodiversity conservation in Colombia.
– $40 million to enhance social and economic inclusion for sedentary migrants.
– $42 million for Johns Hopkins University to conduct research on social and behavioral change in Uganda.
– $70 million for a research center at Purdue University focused on mental health challenges.
– $10 million for voluntary medical male circumcisions in Mozambique.
– $9.7 million for UC Berkeley to train Cambodian youth in entrepreneurship.
– $2.3 million to support independent media voices in Cambodia.
– $32 million to the Prague Civil Society Centre.
– $14 million for public procurement initiatives in Serbia.
– $486 million for election and political process strengthening, including $22 million for democratic participation in Moldova.
– $21 million for increasing voter turnout in India.
– $20 million for fiscal federalism in Nepal.
– $19 million for biodiversity conservation in Nepal.
– $1.5 million for voter confidence programs in Liberia.
– $14 million for social cohesion efforts in Mali.
– $2.5 million for democracy-building in South Africa.
– $47 million to improve learning outcomes in Asia.
– $2 million for sustainable recycling projects benefiting marginalized communities in Kosovo, Ashkali, and Egypt.
Trump condemned these expenditures as unnecessary and fraudulent, questioning whether any of the money actually benefited the people it was intended to help.
“We’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars. I could read this all day long. We have a very corrupt country. And it’s a sad thing to say, but we’re figuring it out,” Trump concluded.
