Obama and Bush unite against Trump

Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush have joined forces to denounce Donald Trump and the USAID budget cuts implemented by his administration.

In particular, they denounce the dismantling of the USAID humanitarian and development agency, founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy.

At a videoconference marking USAID’s last day of operations – an event attended by its members, employees and singer Bono – the former presidents publicly expressed their disapproval of their successor’s decisions.

According to CNN, recordings broadcast at the event show Barack Obama calling the situation a “travesty” and a “tragedy”.

For his part, George W. Bush stressed that 25 million people are alive thanks to the generosity of USAID employees, which he sees as an illustration of “the great strength of America”.

Since Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in January 2025, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been gradually dismantled, with the collaboration of Elon Musk, then head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). What was initially presented as a simple restructuring turned into a complete shutdown of the organization.

According to several estimates, the termination of USAID’s activities could result in more than 14 million deaths worldwide over the next five years. This prospect has prompted a wave of international criticism.