Watch: Karoline Leavitt Pulls Out ‘Insane’ List of USAID Expenditures as Reporter Frets About ‘Humanitarian Aid’

In general, struggling Americans have a natural and righteous aversion to seeing their tax dollars wasted overseas. Thus, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took exactly the correct approach when dealing with pearl-clutching reporters.

Leavitt, however, barely scratched the surface of what attentive observers on the social media platform X expect to find now that President Donald Trump and his top advisors, including Trump ally and X owner Elon Musk, have put the United States Agency for International Development under the proverbial microscope.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Monday, Leavitt responded to a snarky question about Musk’s level of expertise in “humanitarian aid” first by defending Musk as a common-sense businessman and then by citing a list of “insane” overseas projects funded by USAID.

Leavitt began by characterizing Musk as a “once-in-a-generation business leader,” as well as a “great ally and a friend to the president.”

“And I think Elon Musk also has a little bit of common sense,” she added. “And I think the American people really appreciate that when it comes to the federal government because it seems like all common sense has been lost in this city.”

Moments later, the press secretary pulled a piece of paper from her coat pocket.

“Here’s the reason why Elon Musk and others have been taking a look,” she said.

Leavitt then described an “insane” array of DEI-related overseas projects: “$1.5 million to advance DEI in Serbia’s workplaces, $70,000 for production of a DEI musical in Ireland, $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia, [and] $32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru.”

“I don’t know about you,” the press secretary then said to the reporters, “but as an American taxpayer, I don’t want my dollars going towards this crap, and I know the American people don’t either, and that’s exactly what Elon Musk has been tasked by President Trump to do: to get the fraud, waste, and abuse out of our federal government.”

Readers may view Leavitt’s full response in the YouTube video below.

Of course, no sane person wants American tax dollars funding DEI-related projects anywhere, least of all overseas. Leavitt, therefore, answered the reporter’s question in exactly the right way.

In a larger sense, however, the press secretary told only a fraction of the truth about USAID. And she could hardly have revealed more. After all, Trump almost certainly has not yet decided what to do about that sinister organization.

To understand why, recall in February 2024 when conservative commentator Tucker Carlson interviewed former State Department official Mike Benz. As a longtime admirer of Carlson, I personally found it one of the most eye-opening interviews he has ever conducted.

In short, Benz displayed encyclopedia knowledge of what he regularly calls “The Blob.” By that, he means the national-security state, including the Central Intelligence Agency, State Department, and Pentagon, as well as a host of non-governmental organizations and other agencies, including USAID, that engage, for instance, in regime-change operations overseas while censoring Americans’ speech at home.

Benz called it “military rule” and “the inversion of democracy.” Readers may view the entire hourlong interview in the clip below.

Ep. 75 The national security state is the main driver of censorship and election interference in the United States. “What I’m describing is military rule,” says Mike Benz. “It’s the inversion of democracy.” pic.twitter.com/hDTEjAf89T

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 16, 2024

Meanwhile, as promised during the 2024 campaign, Trump has tasked Musk with helping to curb government spending. To that end, the president established Musk as the head of a new informal Department of Government Efficiency.

Over the weekend, Musk’s DOGE gained access to the U.S. Treasury’s payments system. Almost immediately, he began sharing information about USAID on X.

Not long ago, some of what he d would have been regarded as Earth-shaking. Perhaps it still should.

For instance, on Sunday Musk confirmed that USAID funded the research that led to COVID-19. He called it “bioweapon research.”

“Did you know that USAID, using YOUR tax dollars, funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people?” Musk casually posted.

Did you know that USAID, using YOUR tax dollars, funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people? https://t.co/YVwyKA7ifs

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 2, 2025

Likewise, USAID used taxpayer funds for the purpose of “paying media organizations to publish their propaganda.” Chalk up another victory for the conspiracy theorists.

USAID has been paying media organizations to publish their propaganda https://t.co/L3rXRt3yxy

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 2, 2025

Elsewhere, Musk referred to USAID as a “criminal organization” and a “radical-left political psy op.”

USAID is a criminal organization https://t.co/Xzl70dmow1

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025

Because USAID is/was a radical-left political psy op https://t.co/Th10uk7dQe

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025

Tellingly, elected Democrats went positively apoplectic over USAID’s exposure. And Musk knew why.

“They’re just mad that their shadow government is being dismantled lol,” he wrote.

They’re just mad that their shadow government is being dismantled lol https://t.co/TOYG4P9ITa

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 4, 2025

Musk’s flurry of USAID-related activity once again brought Benz to the forefront.

“USAID funds the darkest projects known to mankind. Here’s a shortlist,” Benz wrote as an introduction to one of his video interviews.

USAID funds the darkest projects known to mankind. Here’s a shortlist: https://t.co/hzm6iFFzw6

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) February 4, 2025

Chillingly, Benz also characterized USAID as more sinister than the CIA.

“When it’s too dirty for the CIA, you give it to USAID,” Benz wrote.

In fact, he added, “I once joked to a friend that the CIA wasn’t ruthless enough to kill JFK, but maybe USAID did,” referring to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

When it’s too dirty for the CIA, you give it to USAID.

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) February 4, 2025

I once joked to a friend that the CIA wasn’t ruthless enough to kill JFK, but maybe USAID did

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) February 4, 2025

In short, Leavitt had it right. But, in all likelihood, she had authorization from Trump to reveal only so much.

If Musk and Benz have it right, then overseas DEI projects constitute the least of Americans’ concerns. Democrats have rallied around USAID not because they love humanitarianism, and certainly not because USAID promotes humanitarianism, but because USAID represents the financial heart of the diabolical deep state.

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