What have you done Trump!!!!

Everyone became critical of Trump after the market dip caused by his tariff announcements. The market is volatile, and it is causing fear among investors. But Trump has done things that are a million times worse than this.

On January 20, his first day in office of his second term, Trump froze USAID for 90 days.
I’ll explain what USAID is later, but for now, know that it is a foreign aid program run by the federal government that provides financial assistance for various programs in multiple countries.

In the following month, Trump and DOGE, led by Elon Musk, cut down almost 90% of USAID, and around 10,000 employees were laid off.
These kinds of measures are known as austerity policies. The general idea comes from neoliberal economists who argue that government spending is harmful and damages the economy.
Let’s analyze what four months of austerity have caused the world.

What is USAID?

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy.
At that time, the USSR was seen as a symbol of revolution, motivating and influencing several countries to fight for their freedom.
The USSR supported many nations in resisting colonial powers and formed solid relationships with countries like Poland, East Germany, Hungary, and others — famously known as the Soviet bloc.
The USSR was on a path to establish global socialism, and its growing influence among developing countries alarmed the U.S.

Back then, the U.S., which often either remained silent or supported colonial powers, decided to begin offering foreign aid to developing countries.
The U.S. would fund healthcare programs and education initiatives in exchange for favorable political and trade relationships.
USAID also funded anti-communist parties and provided military aid to suppress communist uprisings.
A famous example is the coup against Salvador Allende: USAID funded anti-communists and, with help from the CIA and military dictator Augusto Pinochet, brought down a smoothly running communist government.

It’s important to note: USAID was not charity. It was a clear political strategy to win the Cold War and expand U.S. markets.

Even after the USSR collapsed, USAID continued to aid several countries.

By 2024, up until Trump’s second term, USAID was perhaps the only genuinely good thing the U.S. had consistently done.
Even though foreign aid made up less than 1% of the federal budget, it was a vital lifeline for many nations.

Programs like PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) saved over 18 million lives.
USAID funded several maternal and child welfare programs, preventing millions of unwanted pregnancies.
It saved millions more from malaria and tuberculosis deaths by providing bed nets, vaccines, and medicines.
USAID also contributed to disaster relief and food security efforts.

Today, with no USSR to fight, USAID was doing real good—until Trump and morons like Musk gutted it in the name of austerity.

What happened as a result?

Around 50,000 human beings died from the freezing of PEPFAR alone.

Millions more are at risk of dying from starvation and diseases due to Musk’s so-called “savings plans.”
If USAID is not restored, it is likely to cause 25 million new deaths within the next 10 to 15 years.
(Source: Nature Article)

All this — for what?
So U.S. taxpayers could save a few extra dimes?

Twenty-five people dying from terrorism is bad.
Thousands dying from bombings is worse.
Millions dying from preventable causes is a thousand times worse.

Trump and Musk have the blood of millions on their hands.